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 […]
Fairness for All: Case 11
In the case below, both the taxpayer and SARS failed to follow the correct procedures, resulting in a cycle of invalidations of the taxpayer’s objection.
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.
Fairness for All: Case 10
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 […]
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.
MEDIA RELEASE: TAX OMBUD CELEBRATES 8 YEARS OF FAIRNESS BY INTENSIFYING TAXPAYER RIGHTS AWARENESS
The Office of the Tax Ombud’s (OTO) eighth anniversary celebration today, 1 October, coincides with the launch of its 2021 educational campaign to intensify awareness about taxpayer rights and promote tax compliance during the current tax season of the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
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.
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 […]
Fairness for All: Case 7
The Tax Season is upon us, and as per tradition, the OTO expects an influx of complaints from taxpayers. Some of the issues might seem small but have serious financial implications for taxpayers. The case below involves SARS delaying finalising the verification of a VAT period which subsequently led to a delay in the verification […]
Fairness for All: Case 6
The Office of the Tax Ombud is committed to helping improve the country’s tax administration system by, among others, protecting taxpayers’ rights. But there are instances where the actions of tax complainants are questionable, and the Tax Ombud would rule in favour of the South African Revenue Service or reject a tax complaint outright. Remember, […]