TEAZERS strip club boss Lolly Jackson has been raided by the taxman for the second time in six months for outstanding debts.
Assets from Jackson’s home in Johannesburg and Teazers branches in Midrand, Rivonia and Durban were seized on Friday after a sheriff of the court enacted a writ of execution.
A furious Jackson, who claims the South African Revenue Service (SARS) was using “vindictive, Gestapo tactics”, said he took money out of his bond to pay the taxman R6-million to ensure the doors of his clubs stayed open.
“I pay tax every year, and what I owe SARS and what they say I owe are two different figures,” Jackson said.
“After a 2005 audit they said I owed them R15-million and I said they were wrong. It was about R800,000. We disputed this and the case has been going to court ever since. Now they’ve come up with a figure of about R400-million. We finally have a court date for January 28. Then on Friday they turn up to attach everything. We’ve been fighting for three years, what difference would one more month make,” he asked?
Jackson claimed SARS was “above the law” and had on several occasions withdrawn money from his bank account without authorisation — such as R970,000 last week which he said was for staff bonuses. “They are over-board, they target businesses that are doing well,” he said.
Jackson said tables and chairs were removed from his clubs and some of his super cars attached. His wife, Demi, was also questioned about the whereabouts of her jewellery and handbags.
“I am so de-motivated that even if I win, I just want to get out of this shit-hole. I haven’t put all this commitment into my business since 1996 to be arrested twice a year, and it’s always withdrawn because there is not enough evidence. In two years, there have been 10 different investigators working on this case. The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing.”
The former diamond-cutter reiterated his previously expressed desire to emigrate.
“I feel like giving the keys to my staff to run (Teazers) and going overseas. Maybe to Greece — anywhere is better than getting treated like a criminal.”
SARS spokesman Adrian Lackay was unavailable for comment today.