SARS launches auto-assessment ahead of tax filing season
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced that over 3 million individual taxpayers will not have to file tax returns due to the organisation’s auto-assessments.
The assessments will be done over August.
Commissioner Edward Kieswetter held a media briefing in Midrand on Thursday.
"From the first to the 31st of August we are happy to launch a mass launch of our auto assessment process, which means that about 3.1 million individual SMS’s will be sent out and it will advise you of an assessment we have done on your behalf."
He said those who are unhappy with their assessment can use the SARS App to edit and add documents.
An auto-assessment which is not specifically accepted, edited or rejected by an individual taxpayer will automatically be filed if the third party data used to generate the assessment is correct and complete.
The filing season will begin on 1 September and close in January 2021.
"For e-filing, the closing date is 16th of November 2020, for taxpayers who want to file at a SARS branch the closing date is 22 October 2020 and for provisional taxpayers who file electronically the closing date is 29 January 2020," said Kieswetter.
He said individuals who want to file at SARS branches need to make an appointment due to Covid-19 regulations.