Welcome to our second quarter issue of Fair Play! We are excited about this issue because the Office of the Tax Ombud’s educational campaign continues to provide insights on promoting Taxpayers’ rights during the SARS’s Tax Season. The OTO’s #TaxpayersRightsMatter campaign aims to educate taxpayers about their rights, what they mean, and when they should […]
Taxpayers regularly experience challenges with IRP5 certificates, either with incorrect information reflecting on the certificates or not receiving the IRP5 certificates from their previous employers. It is important to note that the above issues should be directed to employers and not the South African Revenue Services (SARS). However, the case below, which can be taken […]
It sometimes happens that taxpayers and taxpayer representatives appeal a decision made by the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) regarding complaints lodged. When this happens, the matter is referred to the OTO’s Appeal Committee, chaired by the CEO of the Office, Professor Thabo Legwaila. The case below is an example of a tax complaint […]
Welcome to the latest edition of Fair Play, the OTOs stakeholder newsletter. In this edition, we consider how taxpayers can, and should, take charge of their tax affairs.
The Tax Ombud Annual Performance Plan (APP) 2021 -22 has been tabled in Parliament.
Welcome to the nineteenth edition of Fair Play, the OTOs stakeholder newsletter. In this edition, we look at taxpayers’ rights, and the balance of power between SARS and taxpayers. Click the link below to read the full newsletter or find it on our Publications Page.
An Ombud is an independent and impartial officer who deals with complaints about an organisation or agency, whether private or public. Typically these complaints involve issues that the organisation or agency has been unable or unwilling, to resolve to the complainant’s satisfaction.
In the November edition of Fairness for All, we discussed a case where the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) highlighted SARS’s conduct in withholding refunds for periods not under verification or audit. In that case, SARS only instituted an audit when its action was challenged by the OTO. This delayed response was seen as […]
As a result of the huge demands on the Fiscal because of the COVID-19 virus pandemic, we have possibly entered a period during which tax collection dynamics are going to change, in particular between the taxpayer and the revenue collector, SARS. Understandably so, a lot of money is going to be needed. Delayed payment of […]
In one case, SARS had been sitting on a R5m VAT refund dating back to 2016. Read now