In 2017 the OTO issued a report after finalising a systemic investigation into what caused delays in SARS paying refunds to taxpayers. One of the issues identified was that SARS delays the revision of assessments after disputes have been finalised. The primary issue noted by the Tax Ombud was that there is no prescribed timeframe […]
The theme of the current edition is “Balancing taxpayers’ rights and obligations”, and the articles and insights featured in this issue seek to do precisely that by providing informative material on the topic.
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 […]
The OTO has discovered a previously unidentified issue relating to SARS repeatedly conducting verifications that could be contributing to delays in the revenue authority finalising assessments. This issue was found during an analysis the OTO has been conducting to determine possible root causes of certain delays in paying out refunds, specifically in cases where SARS […]
The Tax Ombud, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, is pleased to share South Africa’s first-ever Compilation of Taxpayers’ Rights, Entitlements and Obligations. The document was compiled by the Office of the Tax Ombud (OTO) with inputs from numerous stakeholders in and outside the tax sphere. Thank you for your contribution and support over the years, and we […]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.