Cape Town - A Bellville businessman appeared in the Cape Town Regional court charged with tax fraud of more than R2 million.
Willem Jacobus Viljoen, 49, was charged with his company, Phindana Properties, for tax evasion, with a list of 43 transactions – each equivalent to one count.
The matter, which was enrolled at the Bellville Commercial Crime Court, was recently transferred to the Cape Town Regional Court and was postponed to Wednesday.
The company, based in Stikland, Bellville and Viljoen were charged with contravening the Tax Act by using his registered company business to file taxes as an individual.
It is alleged that Viljoen was an operational taxpayer using Phindana Properties as a front for paying himself from 2009 to 2018.
The State charged Viljoen with declaring but failing to pay, R1.2 million in VAT, R500 000 in PAYE, R91 000 in social development tax, and an unemployment Insurance contribution of R170 000.
Viljoen registered his company Phindana Properties in 2009, and has since operated under the auspices of an employee receiving payments made by himself and paid back to himself.
Over the years, the company went from a limited business to a closed corporation, with Viljoen now having the burden of paying up.
Viljoen will have to answer whether or not he was made aware that what he was doing was allegedly against the law.
Last year, the national government implemented the Cybercrime Act, which will track all operational activities of businessmen, such as Viljoen, and stop financial crime, including “fraud”.
Viljoen made use of the Sars e-filing system, with other avenues of online filing systems, however this was clearly not enough to fool the tax man.