Sars Efiling / Adobe Acrobat / Linux ??

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redarrow

redarrow

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So I registered for efiling and now I discover that Sars uses PDF forms that can seemingly only be filled in with Adobe Acrobat Reader? :confused:

Why would they use such a cumbersome and weird system? What on earth is wrong with HTML forms?

And what about us Linux users? Sure Adobe has a Linux version of acrobat, but I cannot for the life of me get it to work.. (and anyway I don't like propriety software on my Linux system :p)

Is there any other way to get it to work?
Anyone know of another PDF app that can handle PDF forms and works in Linux?

Thanks. :)
 
Didn't you hear? Back in 1995 there was a company called Microsoft who released a software package called Windows 95

:p

Seriously. I run a few websites totalling about 15000 unique clicks a day (crap load of page views / hits etc)

96% of them use M$

They're just catering for the masses
 
AcidRaZor said:
Didn't you hear? Back in 1995 there was a company called Microsoft who released a software package called Windows 95

:p
Click to expand...
Hmm... no not familiar with that.. :confused:

AcidRaZor said:
They're just catering for the masses
Click to expand...
Yea... but this is SARS we're talking about, they should be catering for everyone not just "the masses" :p

Fact is: I don't see why they can't use HTML forms?
It would probably have been easier to implement and hey presto it opens the system for use by any web capable machine .. even some cellphones! :eek:


I suppose I'll just have to tell them that as they have not catered for my needs I shall be unable to pay any taxes until the problem is rectified.. :p :cool:
 
Adobe Reader for Linux does work, I've been using it for efiling too. I suspect you haven't installed the plugin.

The problem I'm having is when I click "save online" and reload my ITR12, I have to retype everything again, even though the status says "saved" and the date and time looks right.
 
redarrow said:
Hmm... no not familiar with that.. :confused:


Yea... but this is SARS we're talking about, they should be catering for everyone not just "the masses" :p

Fact is: I don't see why they can't use HTML forms?
It would probably have been easier to implement and hey presto it opens the system for use by any web capable machine .. even some cellphones! :eek:


I suppose I'll just have to tell them that as they have not catered for my needs I shall be unable to pay any taxes until the problem is rectified.. :p :cool:
Click to expand...

just phone sars and ask them to snail mail you a form.
 
fskmh said:
Adobe Reader for Linux does work, I've been using it for efiling too. I suspect you haven't installed the plugin.

The problem I'm having is when I click "save online" and reload my ITR12, I have to retype everything again, even though the status says "saved" and the date and time looks right.
Click to expand...
Hmm.. I cannot get Adobe reader to run .. it requires dependencies which I cannot seem to locate for Fedora 9..
Code: 
/opt/Adobe/Reader8/Reader/intellinux/bin/acroread: error while loading shared libraries: libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

wcoetzee said:
just phone sars and ask them to snail mail you a form.
Click to expand...
I have the paper forms actually... but SARS (like the evil twisted money grabbing soul snatching villainous felons they are) discriminates against paper users by making them hand them in way way way earlier than the e-versions . :eek: :eek:
 
redarrow said:
Hmm.. I cannot get Adobe reader to run .. it requires dependencies which I cannot seem to locate for Fedora 9..
Code: 
/opt/Adobe/Reader8/Reader/intellinux/bin/acroread: error while loading shared libraries: libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
Click to expand...

Looks like a fairly common dependency problem.

Disclaimer:
Please bear with a hardcore Slacker's limited experience with rpm and yum on SL and RHEL ;):

It appears that libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0 is part of gtk2:

Code: 
rpm -ql gtk2 | grep pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0
/usr/lib/libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0
/usr/lib/libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0.400.13
/usr/lib64/libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0
/usr/lib64/libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0.400.13

So I would check if this package is installed with:

Code: 
rpm -qa | grep -i gtk2

If not I would install with:
Code: 
yum -y gtk2
 
I got it to work on OpenSuse 10.2, but that is Linux for you, dependency hell. OpenSuse 11 and KDE 4 kicked my a$$ to the curb recently.

The rationale behind Adobe Forms is unclear to me as well. HTML forms seem to be able to do the same thing, are more intuitive to use (correcting an amount for instance) and are cross browser / platform compatible - hell, you could complete your tax return on your IPhone. Adobe Forms also don't allow you to save your work and submit it later when working off-line e.g. you cannot download your form, fill in some changes and save it. You would have to upload it to save your changes - that is completely counter-intuitive to me.

But what do I know, I don't work for Accenture.
 
fskmh said:
It appears that libgdk_pixbuf_xlib-2.0.so.0 is part of gtk2:
Click to expand...
Yea.. that's what I thought too... but I do have Gtk2 installed (I use Gnome afterall ;)) ..

But... you got me thinking .. I suddenly realised that Acrobat Reader is 32 bit so therefore I need to install 32 bit Gtk2 libs.. :eek:

So I did just that and now it's working .. :) Thanks :)


I'm still annoyed though that I have to further sully my Linux install with horrible unreliable closed source software :mad: The Nvidia graphic drivers are bad enough :p
 
Slootvreter said:
Or you can go fetch one at their offices, which will only take you 1 day. Half the time :D
Click to expand...

Not if you work all day and can't take time off.

I just feel I'm being forced into eFiling when I don't want, because they sent my forms 3 weeks before they are due, and then got the info wrong as well. So I'm slightly bitter about the whole thing at the moment.
 
Slootvreter said:
I fail to see why this system is poorly designed.
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No seriously? You cannot see any objection to it? :eek:

They've only gone and used a completely unheard of method for filling out forms and ignored the standard (used on 99.99% of websites) which has existed practically since the inception of HTML? :confused:

Give me one good reason why they should use some propriety and largely unsupported format? I say largely unsupported because as far as I can see Adobe Acrobat is the only program capable of working with these forms.

Wouldn't you agree that a public service as important as revenue collection should be as accessible as it possibly can?


It is a poorly designed system. And I feel that my reasoning for saying that is pretty objective. :p
 
redarrow said:
No seriously? You cannot see any objection to it? :eek:

They've only gone and used a completely unheard of method for filling out forms and ignored the standard (used on 99.99% of websites) which has existed practically since the inception of HTML? :confused:

Give me one good reason why they should use some propriety and largely unsupported format? I say largely unsupported because as far as I can see Adobe Acrobat is the only program capable of working with these forms.

Wouldn't you agree that a public service as important as revenue collection should be as accessible as it possibly can?


It is a poorly designed system. And I feel that my reasoning for saying that is pretty objective. :p
Click to expand...


I would hardly say PDF is a largely unsupported format. Seems like you are one of the minority having trouble.
 
Slootvreter said:
I would hardly say PDF is a largely unsupported format. Seems like you are one of the minority having trouble.
Click to expand...

No, a fair number of people are.

And while PDF is well supported, it's not normally used for submitting forms over the web. And PDF is a format, not an app - they're not just mandating the use of pdf, they're mandating the use of a specific piece of software, Adobe Reader.
 
Listen slave, submit the scroll or partment whateva on time or I'll put Baal on you!!!

Seriously though, doesn't SARS have a fax option? Maybe you can fax it?
 
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