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.
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.
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
In this issue we feature a critical intervention by the Office of the Tax Ombud that earned the Office a testimonial from a taxpayer. The intervention led to SARS paying the taxpayer R86 573.64 in VAT refunds, inclusive of interest. The OTO reiterates that while it will do everything possible to protect taxpayers’ rights, it […]
In this issue we discuss a critical intervention by the Office of the Tax Ombud that led to SARS refunding close to R196 000.00 to a taxpayer after the money was unfairly taken from its bank accounts. The Tax Ombud Judge Bernard Ngoepe always reiterates the importance of tax compliance and the rights of taxpayers […]
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 […]
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 […]