If you have not submitted your tax return, SARS could prosecute you

[Excalibur]

The SA Revenue Service has partnered with the NPA to ensure that taxpayers found guilty end up with criminal records

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) issued a media release on Monday threatening to prosecute taxpayers who have failed to submit tax returns.

SARS has announced a partnership with the National Prosecuting Authority that will result in taxpayers who are found guilty ending up with criminal records. So far, 36 dockets have been handed over to the NPA.

The initiative resulted in its first conviction in Port Shepstone last week, when a company’s representative was ordered to submit all outstanding returns.

"Failure to submit a tax or VAT return is a criminal offence in terms of the Tax Administration Act and value-added tax legislation," SARS said.

At the end of March 2018, SARS estimated that active taxpayers owed SARS about 30-million returns.

Link.

[RedViking]

[HavocXphere]

ensure that taxpayers found guilty end up with criminal records

Jirre. That's quite an intense PR message.

I guess the revenue shortfall is a lot bigger than anticipated if they're feeling the need to roll out the big guns immediately

[signates]

They went out of their way in marketing that you don't have to submit a tax return if your income is below a certain amount without highlighting all the caveats. They turned around and slapped on penalties for those who ended up not submitting tax returns. I've ended up disputing and successfully having applied for remission of these penalties for more than a few R100k.

Having taxpayers with criminal records and potentially unemployed is only going to cost them more in reduced tax revenue.

[ForceFate]

They took quite a while to pay my refund

[backstreetboy]

How about fixing the queues outside SARS then I'll bother otherwise go fly a kite.

[Excalibur]

Jirre. That's quite an intense PR message.

I guess the revenue shortfall is a lot bigger than anticipated if they're feeling the need to roll out the big guns immediately

Yes, the Zuma regime and Moyane's control at SARS saw astronomical losses in gov revenue. This is why we've had things like VAT increases and whole lot of other tax increases.

[ForceFate]

How about fixing the queues outside SARS then I'll bother otherwise go fly a kite.

eFiling? I don't know

[sox63]

eFiling? I don't know

It’s so easy submitting a return, I have no idea why people just don’t do it, unless they have something to hide.

Only annoyance I have with SARS is being audited 3 years in a row. Hoping this year I don’t and I just get my refund

[backstreetboy]

eFiling? I don't know

Tells me I must go to a branch and after 30 days my profile will be deleted if I don't so no.

[ForceFate]

Tells me I must go to a branch and after 30 days my profile will be deleted if I don't so no.

The queues are as a result of people opting to go to a contact centre for filing of returns. My local branch has over 18 agents working at any time, but the queues just grow longer and longer.

[HavocXphere]

Yes, the Zuma regime and Moyane's control at SARS saw astronomical losses in gov revenue. This is why we've had things like VAT increases and whole lot of other tax increases.

Sure sounded like it @ that keepers book. Hard to tell from the outside I guess

It’s so easy submitting a return, I have no idea why people just don’t do it, unless they have something to hide.

Took me over an hour to get that sht just to load right last time I had to do it. It's quite fussy on what browsers display certain reports. Ended up installing firefox and opera too

[access]

The queues are as a result of people opting to go to a contact centre for filing of returns. My local branch has over 18 agents working at any time, but the queues just grow longer and longer.

could just be an increase of cases like backstreetboy..

[Shellyb1]

They took quite a while to pay my refund

I am still waiting for last year's submission to pay out.

[HBee]

ANC out of money. Scraping the bottom of the barrel now.