The National Civilian Safety and Security Action (Nacissa) lobby group on Tuesday urged South Africans to deduct expenditure on private security from their taxable income this year.
Spokesperson Conrad Beyers said a substantial portion of South Africans’ income tax should be used by the government for safeguarding its citizens.
”The government’s neglect of its duty to combat crime compels South African taxpayers to incur various expenses to make up for this neglect,” Beyers said.
The result was that South Africans paid double for ensuring their safety.
”… The government’s failed crime-combating strategy led to a situation where the South African public took over a substantial part of the government’s responsibility to fight crime.
”It is hence inappropriate to pay tax for services that were not delivered by the government.”
Beyers said an action of this sort could force the government to take real action against crime.
”We pay tax to pay the salaries of ministers and a president who are in denial about crime and are thereby worsening the situation,” said Beyers.
According to Nacissa, South African citizens can fill in their crime-related expenses on their tax forms in the section ”other qualifying deductions”.
However, Sars has sharply condemned this call on South Africans to seek a tax deduction for their private security expenses.
”This amounts to incitement to boycott paying taxes due,” Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackey said on Tuesday.
He said the Income Tax Act clearly prohibited the deduction of domestic and private expenses from taxable incomes.
”Sars would deem such actions as illegal or non-permissible in terms of section 23B. — Sapa