Tax season opens for digital filing
The tax season for this year officially opened on Monday for eFiling and the SARS MobiApp users
TAXPAYERS who use the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) digital platforms, have until 4 December to submit their income tax returns.
The tax season for this year officially opened on Monday for eFiling and the SARS MobiApp users.
‘In a major departure from previous years, to improve service to taxpayers and encourage conversion to online filing, Tax Season 2019 is staggered.
‘This allows taxpayers who use eFiling and the MobiApp for smart phones and tablets, to file their income tax returns from 1 July until 4 December 2019.
‘Taxpayers who wish to use online filing for the first time, may also register during this period,’ SARS said.
Those who want to file their income tax returns at a SARS branch may do so from 1 August until 31 October.
The revenue service said while it has made it easy for taxpayers to comply, it is concerned about those who continue to break the law.
‘Outstanding returns and late returns remain a concern and SARS will step up its enforcement of penalties in this regard.
‘We have also noticed tax preparers unethically promising taxpayers that they will secure a refund.
They then look for opportunities to understate income or overstate expenses,’ SARS said.
They warned that this is a serious offence and could result in criminal charges as well as financial consequences for the taxpayer, who remains accountable to SARS for their submissions.
Taxpayers do not need to submit an income tax return if they meet all of the following criteria:
Their total employment income for the year before tax is not more than R500 000
They only receive employment income from one employer for the full tax year
They have no other form of income (eg car allowance, business income, and rental income, taxable interest or income from another job)
They don’t have any additional allowable tax-related deductions to claim (e.g. medical expenses, retirement annuity contributions and travel expenses).
Taxpayers who are not required to file will receive a simulated calculation from SARS via SMS based on information given to SARS by employers and other sources. The outcome will show the taxpayer what they could expect as though they had filed a return themselves. Taxpayers can accept the outcome of the calculation or resubmit the return with changes they would like to make.
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