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Free assistance with your complaint about SARS

The Office of the Tax Ombud promotes taxpayers’ rights and provides free and impartial assistance when you have tax complaints with SARS.

How does the Office of the Tax Ombud resolve taxpayer complaints about SARS?

1. When you lodge a complaint with the Tax Ombud, we first establish whether the complaint falls within our mandate and make sure you have exhausted the SARS complaints mechanism.

2. Are there compelling circumstances?

  • Does the complaint raise systemic issues?
  • Will exhausting the complaints resolution mechanisms cause undue hardship to the taxpayer?
  • Or will exhausting the complaints resolution mechanisms not produce a result within a period that the Tax Ombud considers reasonable?

3. Then the Tax Ombud will verify if any limitations apply and check if the complaint is valid.

4. If complaints are found to be within the Ombud’s mandate, thus there is a service, procedural or administrative failure from SARS side, the Tax Ombud would then recommend to SARS how to remedy the situation, and a letter of acceptance is sent to the taxpayer.

5. If the case is rejected, a letter of outcome will be sent to the complainant with the reasons for rejection.