SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter has spelled it out again after the May 2025 Budget Speech: SARS is committed to collecting significantly more tax this year. He warned that the South African Revenue Service (SARS) will use all legal instruments to address non-compliance.
In its effort to meet the ambitious 2025/26 revenue estimate of R1.986 trillion, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has made it clear that timely, transparent and accurate tax submissions are the new normal. Central to this approach is expanded use of third-party data, not sparing Trusts and Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs).
The fact that several countries abroad do not let you have a braai whenever and wherever you want, is not on its own the reason why South African expats return home after many years abroad. But when added to factors like cultural differences, the lack of traditional support structures, and the high cost of living overseas, it might just be the final straw.
If you’re still waiting on a VAT refund, now is the time to take legal action. Taxpayers and tax practitioners alike are reporting a surge in delayed refunds, with SARS citing pending verifications or audits, but only after a manual status check is performed. This is not a procedural glitch – this is a
systemic failure with serious financial implications.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is moving fast to tighten the tax net. This is not reform; it is an offensive – and entirely consistent with Commissioner Edward Kieswetter’s strategic mantra of making non-compliance hard and costly.
A recent Tax Court ruling in favour of the South African Revenue Service (“SARS”), which treated large loan account balances as undeclared income, serves as a warning to directors and shareholders to properly manage these accounts, maintain accurate records, and be prepared to explain the origin of funds when SARS flags loans as unexplained.
Being abroad won’t save you from SARS’ collection efforts As the upcoming tax filing season approaches, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is reportedly ramping up a major initiative aimed at recovering outstanding tax debt including from taxpayers living abroad.
Employers can count on a house inspection from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) this filing season. With revenue recovery top of the agenda and more hands on deck to get the job done, know that a thorough mop-up of any payroll non-compliance is on the way.
As SARS continues to enhance its Compliance Programmes by modernising its systems and integrating artificial intelligence to better identify instances of non-compliance, so too is the revenue collector bolstering the manpower behind its tax debt collections team. In a strategic move, National Treasury has allocated additional funding to SARS’ resourcing initiatives, effectively boosting its operational […]
In preparation for the upcoming tax filing season, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) is believed to work on a major special initiative focused on tax debt collection, which is expected to yield an additional R70 billion in revenue over the next three years. It is understood that in the hallways at SARS officials aptly […]