Fairness for All: Case 13

Before releasing tax refunds, SARS is by law allowed to conduct verifications when it identifiesrisks, but it is not common to do so multiple times for the same tax year and request the samedocuments.

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Fair Play 23

The theme of this edition is “Embracing taxpayer rights and obligations”, underlining the ongoing efforts of the Office of the Tax Ombud to ensure fairness when taxpayers deal with SARS.

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Fairness for All: Case 12

The case below details how the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) assisted a taxpayer with a complaint where the South African Revenue Service (SARS) had failed to pay out the diesel refund in respect of the 04/2021 value added tax (VAT) period.

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Media Statement: Tax Ombud publishes a draft collection of taxpayer rights

On 1 February 2022, the Tax Ombud, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, released a draft of South Africa’s first Compendium of Taxpayer Rights, Entitlements and Obligations, which informs taxpayers about their rights, entitlements and obligations concerning their tax affairs and engagements with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) and the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO). The […]

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Fair Play 22

This The celebration of the OTO’s 8th anniversary is an exciting milestone. During this period, the Office has taken great strides to make a difference to the lives of taxpayers through its free and fair intervention when taxpayers have complaints about SARS. 

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Fairness for All: Case 9

The case below describes how SARS delayed payment of a refund to a taxpayer, even after it had allowed an objection to the assessment raised, by repeatedly paying the refund and then recalling it immediately from the taxpayer’s bank account.

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Fair Play 21

Welcome to the 21st issue of our newsletter, themed The Right to Know About Your Tax Matters. This issue comes at a crucial time, during the SARS tax season, when many individuals and businesses file tax returns.

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Fairness for All: Case 8

 We are in the middle of the tax season, with taxpayers filing their tax returns and some experiencing challenges with the revenue collector. One of these challenges involves SARS taking money from taxpayers’ bank accounts through a process called Third Party Appointment (TPA). In many instances, this process is done correctly, but there are also […]

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