The VAT return owed to the Gupta owned Oakbay company was paid to a third party account, and the chairperson of parliament standing committee on finance is not happy about that.
The money was paid into the third party account following the closure of the Gupta owned bank accounts by South African Banks after allegations of improper business conduct were levelled against the Guptas.
In a statement issued by the parliamentary communication services on behalf of Mr Yunus Carrim who chairs The Standing Committee on Finance, Carrim has expressed reservations that the returns paid to Terbium Financial Services were paid without the approval of South African Revenue Services (SARS) Commissioner, Mr Tom Moyane.
The main issue is whether this was legal or not, and we have referred the matter to Parliament’s Legal Services Unit to advise our committee.
Carrim noted that even if SARS’s actions in the case of the Gupta companies were legal, suggest that they were treated favourably given the delay in processing VAT returns when it comes to many other tax payers.
Though Carrim believes that Gupta company employees should be paid, he emphasised that this should be done without the Guptas demanding VAT returns in controversial circumstances.