Nobody wants to go through a SARS audit, as collating all the documents requires time, money and effort. What’s more, it may result in the levying of understatement penalties of up to 200% with the harsher 200% penalty applying in instances where the taxpayer is either obstructive or is a repeat offender.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has recently made an important announcement regarding the upcoming Filing Season. In line with their commitment to making the process easier and more convenient for taxpayers, SARS will be implementing auto-assessment for a larger pool of taxpayers this year. Additionally, they have introduced various digital platforms to facilitate seamless interactions with taxpayers. Here is an overview of the announcement and highlights the key points for taxpayers to take note of.
How to maximise your tax benefit from donating to PBOs and how the new SARS rules for S18A certificates affect you.
New SARS IT3(t) Requirements: What South African Trustees Need to Know
In April 2024, an automated process for Trust taxpayers was introduced on eFiling to electronically submit documentation to lodge a dispute via a fully guided process.
24 May– Value-Added Tax (VAT) manual submissions and payments
Your Employer Annual Declaration is Due by 31 May
The Tax Chronology of South Africa: 1979–2024 provides a comprehensive overview of the current and historical rates for various taxes, duties, and levies collected by the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This publication covers the period from 1979 to 2024 and includes details on tax rates, duties, and levies.
As an employer, it’s essential to stay informed about your tax obligations. The Employer Annual Declaration period is a crucial time when you need to submit accurate information to the South African Revenue Service (SARS). Let’s dive into the details:
As South African taxpayers grapple with the implications of tax bracket creep in the 2025 budget, it's crucial to understand how certain allowances and benefits, such as travel allowances, company car fringe benefits, and reimbursive travel allowances can impact your tax liability. Due to the non-adjustment of tax brackets, many are unwittingly pushed into higher tax brackets, increasing their tax burden. However, strategic planning and awareness can help mitigate these effects.
25 April – VAT manual submissions and payments
Check SARS’ New Requirements (and PBOs Note Your New 31 May Deadline)
Biodiversity Tax Incentives for Protected Areas
Closer Look at How South Africa’s Latest Budget Affects Business Owners and Their Families
25 March – VAT manual submissions and payments
February 2024
The Minister of Finance, Mr. Enoch Godongwana, tabled his budget review on 21st February 2024. While tax revenue performed well in 2021/22 and 2022/23 due to high commodity prices, revenue for 2023/24 is now expected to fall short by R56.1 billion. Government has proposed tax increases totalling R15 billion in 2024/25 to alleviate immediate fiscal pressures, while limiting the impact on economic growth. The following were the key tax proposals:
Extract from an article by Lucinda Steenkamp, senior legal advisor CIPC.
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has unveiled a sweeping plan to overhaul the governance and management of state-owned companies, which he said have been plagued by corruption, inefficiency and poor performance. The plan, which was announced in his medium-term budget policy statement on Wednesday, aims to restore the financial viability and strategic relevance of the entities, which collectively have more than R1 trillion in assets and employ over 300 000 people.
The SARS PIT/PAYE journey to end state is to replace the current employees’ tax, provisional tax and assessment filing seasons for employers and individuals by a modern, fully automated process of near real-time tax liability estimation, withholding and paying to SARS of the correct tax due. This will be underpinned by a taxpayer account that reflects taxable events and 3rd party data in real time (or close to real-time), in a manner that allows SARS to transition all their value chain activities (like verification & disputes) to real-time.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has embarked on a digital transformation journey to modernise and enhance its tax administration capabilities. The aim is to improve service delivery, compliance, efficiency and effectiveness, as well as to combat tax evasion and fraud. Some of the key initiatives that SARS has implemented or is planning to implement include:
Employer Interim Reconciliation is part of the Filing Season. This year, the Employer Interim Reconciliation for Employers filing season starts on 18 September 2023 until 31 October 2023. During this period, all employers in both private and public enterprises must reconcile their Monthly Employer Declarations (EMP201). These reconciliations are based on the Monthly Employer Declarations (EMP201) submitted with the tax values of the interim IRP5/IT3(a)s certificates generated, accurate payroll information and employees’ tax (PAYE) payments made during the period 1 March 2023 – 31 August 2023. Thereafter, employers can submit an Employer’s Reconciliation Declaration (EMP501) to SARS.
SARS has increased the reporting requirements for trustees of resident trusts. As from the 1 September 2023, trustees, as representative taxpayers for a trust, are required to submit an IT3(t) form to SARS electronically – relating to the trust for which he or she acts as trustee. The IT3(t) will be due on the 30th September of each year in which the trust’s tax year ends. Trustees will be required to supply information about all distributions made from the trust to beneficiaries or other persons (in respect of any amount vested in a beneficiary including income (net of expenditure), capital gains and capital amounts distributed by 30 September during the preceding tax year of assessment, which ended at the end of February of the same year. In addition to the information about distributions, demographic information about the trust and beneficiaries will also be required to be submitted.
The Ministry of Finance has published the draft legislation for the "two pot" retirement system for comment. The draft legislation aims to implement the reform of the pension system that was agreed upon by the government and social partners in 2020. The "two pot" system consists of a mandatory basic pension that covers the minimum subsistence level, and a voluntary supplementary pension that allows individuals to save more for their retirement. The draft legislation also introduces incentives for longer working lives, such as a gradual increase in the retirement age and a bonus for working beyond the statutory retirement age. The Ministry of Finance invites all interested parties to submit their comments and suggestions on the draft legislation by August 31, 2023.
