Welcome to our special edition newsletter, a heartfelt reflection on 12 years of fairness, transparency, and service excellence at the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO).
Welcome to our special edition newsletter, a heartfelt reflection on 12 years of fairness, transparency, and service excellence at the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO).
The Office of the Tax Ombud proudly announces the reappointment of Tax Ombud, Ms Yanga Mputa, as a Board Member of the African Tax Administration Forum (ATAF) Women in Tax Network (AWITN). This prestigious appointment was confirmed during the ATAF Annual Meeting held from 3–7 November 2025 in Algiers, Algeria. Ms Mputa’s visionary leadership and […]
The Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) today,1 October 2025, publishes the Draft Report into alleged eFiling Profile Hijacking for public comment. The closing date for submissions is 31 October 2025. The draft report follows a systemic investigation conducted by the OTO into alleged eFiling profile hijacking. The investigation commenced in August 2024, following approval […]
SARS and the OTO note with concern the recent article published by Sowetan regarding the rising number of SARS eFiling profiles reportedly hijacked by cyber-fraud criminals, resulting in significant financial losses for taxpayers. At the time of the article’s publication, the OTO had not yet released the draft report for public comment, and the article […]
2 July 2025: The Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) announces the postponement of the publication of the draft report on its investigation into alleged SARS eFiling profile hijacking, initially scheduled for release for public comment on 7 July 2025. This decision follows a formal request from the Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service […]
The Office of the Tax Ombud hereby invites you to a virtual engagement where the Tax Ombud, Ms. Yanga Mputa, will share preliminary findings on eFiling Profile Hijacking Survey. The survey was conducted as part of the OTO’s efforts to gather information for ongoing systemic investigation into this matter.
Taxpayers often find themselves caught in complex disputes due to administrative errors or delays by SARS in processing their objections. When these issues result in unfair financial burden, the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) serves as an independent mediator, ensuring that taxpayers are treated fairly. In this case, the OTO played a crucial role in […]
On 15 August 2024, the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) announced that it sought and obtained approval from the Minister of Finance to conduct a review of possible systemic and emerging issues related to alleged SARS’s service failures in assisting taxpayers with eFiling profile hijacking timeously in terms of section 16(1)(b) of the Tax […]
Following the tabling of the Office of the Tax Ombud (“OTO”) 2023/24 Annual Report by the Minister of Finance in Parliament on 18 September 2024, today, on 6 November 2024, – the OTO launched its 2023/24 Annual Report in collaboration with the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (“SACCI”). In demonstrating its commitment […]
The Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) today, 1 October 2024, launches its annual awareness campaign themed “Be A Smart Taxpayer”. The campaign aims to empower taxpayers to be smart, promote taxpayer rights and embrace tax compliance. It also serves to maximise awareness about the OTO brand and encourage taxpayers to utilise the free services […]
The Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) confirms that it has sought and obtained approval from the Minister of Finance to conduct a review of possible systemic and emerging issues related to alleged SARS’s service failures in assisting taxpayers with eFiling profile hijacking timeously in terms of section 16(1)(b) of the Tax Administration Act 28 […]
The South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) action of incorrectly invalidating objections is one of the issues raised and addressed in the Tax Ombud’s Systemic Investigation Report (2020), which concluded that there was a 31% error rate where objections were incorrectly invalidated for various reasons. The case below illustrates another instance of SARS incorrectly invalidating an objection.
Deregistering as a VAT vendor can be challenging, as the case below illustrates, where the South African Revenue Service (SARS) delayed deregistering a taxpayer’s VAT profile for over a year.
Having stood the test of time as a capable organisation with a proven track record in helping to resolve taxpayers’ complaints against the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Established on 1 October 2013, the OTO has been credited with improving the country’s tax […]
The Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) does not often receive cases involving Turnover Tax Return (TT03) complaints against the South African Revenue Service (SARS) but ensures that when it does, such matters are efficiently dealt with. The case below, which helped secure a tax refund of over R24 000, illustrates the OTO’s commitment to […]
Ten years has a special ring to it, and for the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO), it represents commitment and achievement. We are excited to be celebrating the 10th anniversary of the OTO, which by now has a substantial track record in serving as a free, fair recourse mechanism for South Africa’s taxpayers.
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
The Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) is pleased to present to you the second issue of Fairness for all, the Office’s informative monthly newsletter, featuring important case studies. The current issue features a crucial case which saw highly questionable actions by the revenue collector, several contraventions of tax legislation, and a possible abuse of […]
Welcome to the first issue of Fairness for all, the Office of the Tax Ombud’s (OTO) informativemonthly newsletter, featuring important case studies.The publication will focus only on the tax complaints the OTO receives, how these complaintsare resolved, as well as the reasoning behind the decisions made. In addition, the case studiesfeatured can help taxpayers and […]
The Tax Ombud is set to be structurally independent of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This after Finance Minister Tito Mboweni said more funds will be made available to the office of the ombud. The ombud previously said SARS has too much power and an office to counteract that was needed. Read now
The office said more than 99{ae53aa5df03dcfeb3eeae1da0186263c804cee5c942a333f37d5dc41017ba8d4} of its recommendations were implemented by the revenue collector, but the payment of refunds remained an ongoing issue. Read now