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Commissioner Edward Kieswetter may be proud of the SA Revenue Service (Sars), but he should really be ashamed of the systematic persecution of the dwindling remaining “customer” base he has access to in SA (“Kieswetter says Sars’s efforts played a part in tax overrun”, February 27).
It’s an injustice that honest economically active SA citizens are under attack. We honestly and loyally pay our taxes and have done for many years. Do we get a thank you or recognition for being good taxpayers? What’s worse, many of us are now retiring and there is no relief other than a perfunctory increase in the pittance of a rebate when we turn 65 and then 70.
It is blatantly unfair that if the taxpayer is late paying tax by even a second this is followed by instant penalties and interest and SMSs of demand. This is compared to our treatment when VAT and assessed tax credits are owed to us, which gain no interest or even attention. Just try getting your assessed tax credits paid back to you.
Most likely there is an instant request for more information, much of which has already been faithfully committed to accuracy of record-keeping because of the Automatic Exchange of Information Act, to which Sars subscribes.
Many articles have been written on this matter of late, yet even Kieswetter’s “advisory committee” is seemingly unable to address this. It isn’t surprising that people are emigrating and taking their money and earnings capacity out of the country, never to return. It is a catch-me-if-you-can approach.
As an aside, the “tools.sars” facility is excellent to submit queries or respond to Sars queries. Everyone should therefore register their queries and upload the documents and Sars assessments every 21 days to remind them as often as they remind us of the matters at hand.
Andy Clay Via email
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
LETTER: SA's taxpayers are under attack
It is no surprise that people are emigrating
Commissioner Edward Kieswetter may be proud of the SA Revenue Service (Sars), but he should really be ashamed of the systematic persecution of the dwindling remaining “customer” base he has access to in SA (“Kieswetter says Sars’s efforts played a part in tax overrun”, February 27).
It’s an injustice that honest economically active SA citizens are under attack. We honestly and loyally pay our taxes and have done for many years. Do we get a thank you or recognition for being good taxpayers? What’s worse, many of us are now retiring and there is no relief other than a perfunctory increase in the pittance of a rebate when we turn 65 and then 70.
It is blatantly unfair that if the taxpayer is late paying tax by even a second this is followed by instant penalties and interest and SMSs of demand. This is compared to our treatment when VAT and assessed tax credits are owed to us, which gain no interest or even attention. Just try getting your assessed tax credits paid back to you.
Most likely there is an instant request for more information, much of which has already been faithfully committed to accuracy of record-keeping because of the Automatic Exchange of Information Act, to which Sars subscribes.
Many articles have been written on this matter of late, yet even Kieswetter’s “advisory committee” is seemingly unable to address this. It isn’t surprising that people are emigrating and taking their money and earnings capacity out of the country, never to return. It is a catch-me-if-you-can approach.
As an aside, the “tools.sars” facility is excellent to submit queries or respond to Sars queries. Everyone should therefore register their queries and upload the documents and Sars assessments every 21 days to remind them as often as they remind us of the matters at hand.
Andy Clay
Via email
JOIN THE DISCUSSION: Send us an email with your comments to letters@businesslive.co.za. Letters of more than 300 words will be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Writers should include a daytime telephone number.
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Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.