SARS must not take ‘skop and donner’ approach to taxpayers, says ombud Bernard Ngoepe
‘It has always been our view that when SARS doesn’t take up our recommendations, there should be some explanation for that so the taxpayers can understand’
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) should not adopt a "skop and donner" approach to taxpayers, says tax ombudsman Judge Bernard Ngoepe.Speaking at Unisa on Tuesday, Ngoepe said his office needed greater independence from SARS through amendments to the Tax Administration Act.He said this would help in resolving taxpayers’ complaints against SARS and would improve the country’s tax administration system. "It has always been our view that when SARS doesn’t take up our recommendations, there should be some explanation for that so the taxpayers can understand," he said, adding that this was part of tax morality."Systemic problems are emerging and we are sitting with our arms folded." The concerted efforts to amend certain sections of the act had been fruitful, he said, with numerous proposals accepted."We are optimistic that more of the amendments that we requested will become law in the future." Among amendments already implemented, the office of the tax ombud no longer needs to c...
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