Why SARS has apologised to SA taxpayers

Monday 23 October 2023 was the deadline for income tax submissions, but because of a misguided SMS, SARS has apologised to SA taxpayers.

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We’ve been following the 2023 SARS tax season closely since it opened up more than three months ago. However, despite some challenges along the way, we could not have predicted a SARS apology to SA taxpayers at the end of the road.

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HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED WITH SARS

As reported by Business Tech, SARS has apologised to SA taxpayers for sending out an SMS threatening legal action for non-submission of tax returns.

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There are pretty hefty penalties for tardy income tax submission that, if left unchecked, could even lead to jail time. SARS has been dealing with a massive shortfall this year, falling several billion behind in the revenue it predicted it would accrue.

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As a result, it needs to communicate quickly and efficiently with SA taxpayers. The SMS in question was, rather bizarrely, sent to only certain representatives. Some who have been deregistered for tax, and some who had in fact submitted their returns already.

10 DAYS OR ELSE

The SMS threatened legal action within 10 days of non-submission. Apparently sent in error, SARS subsequently asked taxpayers to ignore the message. The government organisation then submitted a public apology on social media platform X on Thursday 26 October 2023.

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In its apology, SARS said that the message was intended to be a “genuine helpful reminder to taxpayers to file tax returns due and fulfil their legal filing obligation.” However, it admits that the message’s tone was regrettably misaligned with that intent.

SARS APOLOGY

“The SMS message that was sent out earlier this week, in relation to outstanding returns, fell short of the high professional standard we seek to uphold. SARS therefore sincerely apologises to SA taxpayers for the manner in which this matter was handled, the frustration it may have caused honest taxpayers, and any inconvenience caused.”

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What do you think now that SARS has apologised to SA taxpayers? Did you receive one of these SMSes? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below. And don’t forget to follow us @TheSANews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest updates.