Religious organisations have welcomed the decision by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to investigate churches for possible tax noncompliance. A 2017 report on the commercialisation of churches in SA by the Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural‚ Religious and Linguistic Communities said that religion was big business in the country. It recommended that SARS, in partnership with the commission, conduct a thorough investigation into tax evasion by religious leaders. The commission also recommended that religious leaders and organisations should be registered and pay tax. Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana, general secretary of the South African Council of Churches (SACC), said bona fide church activities would have no issues with normal application of standard laws. "The churches are not above the law and all churches must abide by it … the SACC has previously said existing laws made to work effectively are adequate to deal with any wrongdoing conducted in...
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