Sars to be tougher on non-compliant taxpayers this year - Kieswetter

The commissioner reflects on the new modernisation programmes put in place this tax season at the revenue services.

South African Revenue Service (Sars) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has told EWN that COVID-19 had forced the service to readjust the way it designed and developed its systems as it prepared for filing season.

He said the revenue services has added more than 30 additional online applications to save taxpayers a trip to Sars offices and to safeguard staff members.

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Even though some people will be auto assessed in August, tax payers can file their tax returns from 1 September.

The commissioner joins Bongani Bingwa to discuss filing season and how the auto assessment works.

We are in the process of following up with a number of employers and this year a number of them can expect to be prosecuted for non compliance. We have let ourselves down in the past by not being hard enough on employers.

Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner - Sars

He says Sars will send out reminders to employers that are not complying and telling them that they have not fulfilled their obligations.

Employers have three obligations, the first is to collect and handover the money to Sars, the second is to send a monthly statement to reconcile the collection and the third obligation is to submit a final reconciliation statement plus all third party information they have of employers.

Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner - Sars

Prosecution is the end game, firstly Sars will remind people to comply and if they don't comply, prosecution is one of the instruments in the revenue services toolbox, he says.

Our objectives is to make it easy for taxpayers to fulfill their obligation and at the same time make it hard for non compliance taxpayers.

Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner - Sars

We encourage honest taxpayers to comply and to share in the compliance dividends. Non-compliance taxpayers can expect us to be tougher that we have been in the past.

Edward Kieswetter, Commissioner - Sars

Listen below to the full conversation:

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