Actor failed to file returns for 2017/18, now owes R100k
Top actor and movie star Hlomla Dandala has been slapped with a R100 000 lawsuit by SA Revenue Service (SARS) over unpaid income tax debt.
The River and Scandal actor, w ho h as been in the acting industry for decades, has according to court papers, failed to file his tax returns for 2017/18.
According to papers filed before the Joburg High Court, Dandala owed at least R21 000 but was slapped with R70 000 administrative penalties for not
heeding the taxman’s call to settle the debt.
SARS, the papers show, obtained a judgment against the actor last Thursday and intends to identify, attach and sell his assets to realise the payment of the tax bill.
Dandala received and read our questions but did not respond.
According to papers filed by Vanessa Sauls from SARS’s debt management unit at the Alberton branch, Dandala has been in arrears for more than a year.
The revenue collector also argued that the actor, who is popular for his role in Jacob’s Cross, had ignored several letters of demand that had been sent to him.
In one of the letters annexed to the court papers dated October 8, SARS informed Dandala that he owed an amount of R21 131.01 plus an additional R67 000 penalties for failing to pay income tax debt.
The debt ballooned to R100 000 after Dandala missed the deadline given to him to settle the debt.
“You are requested to make full payment within 10 business days from the date of this letter of demand.
“You may within 10 business working days from the date of this letter of demand apply for any of the following:
• payments in instalments where you are unable to pay the full amount;
• suspension of the debt where you intend to submit or have submitted a formal dispute; or
• compromise a portion of the tax where this will provide a higher return to the fiscus than liquidation, sequestration or other collection measures,” reads the
letter.
SARS also said it would obtain a civil judgment against the actor, which would see his assets attached and sold by the sheriff of the court.
When approached for comment, SARS said: “As you are aware, SARS is a creature of statute. As a result, SARS is not in a position to divulge specific information and details on the affairs of taxpayers.”
By Aubrey Mothombeni
mothombenia@156.38.205.90
