Media Release Archive 2008

• OECD Conference on Tax Administration – 7 January 2008
  Pretoria, 7 January 2008 – South Africa this week hosts the fourth meeting of the Forum on Tax Administrators (FTA) in Cape Town at the Grand Westin hotel (formerly the Arabella Sheraton) from 10 to 11 January 2008.

 

•  Update on Income Tax Returns and Assessment Process – 23 January 2008
  23 January 2008 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has received a record of more than 3 million income tax returns as part of the 2007 Filing Season.

 

• South African Trade Statistics for December 2007 – 31 January 2008
  31 January 2008 – Trade deficit increases in December 2007 from R0.6 billion to R1.2 billion mainly due to a month-on-month decrease in imports of machinery, original equipment components and chemicals and a month-on-month decrease in exports of mineral products, base metals and machinery

 

• VAT registration process simplified – 1 February 2008
  01 February 2008 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is pleased to announce the introduction of a vastly simplified and streamlined VAT registration process which comes into effect today

 

• South African Trade Statistics for January 2008 – 29 February 2008
  Trade deficit increases in January 2008 from R1.2 billion to R10.2 billion mainly due to a month-on-month increase in imports of mineral products and original vehicle equipment components and a month-on-month decrease in exports of base metals, precious and semi-precious stones and metals, and vehicles

 

• Media statement by the BCOCC on security at O. R. Tambo International Airport – 10 March 2008
  For some time there has been a persistent and worrying trend in media reporting that link incidents of violent crime in Gauteng to suspected criminal syndicates at O.R. Tambo International Airport (ORTIA)

 

• Five people arrested for alleged VAT fraud – 13 March 2008
  Five People were arrested in connection with alleged VAT fraud amounting to about R35 million in a swoop by the South African Police (SAPS) and South African Revenue Service (SARS) at five different premises in and around Johannesburg early this morning

 

• Important operational procedures for financial year-end – 18 March 2008
  SARS wants to announce important operational procedures for the next two weeks in order to avoid taxpayer frustration as many businesses in particular, will be making payments for various tax types until 31 March 2008

 

• Extended Office hours for Financial Year-End – 27 March 2008
  27 March 2008 – SARS is making special operational arrangements to cater for the intervening weekend leading up to 31 March 2008

 

• South African Trade Statistics for February 2008 – 31 March 2008
  31 March 2008 – Trade deficit decreases in February 2008 from R10.2 billion to R5.8 billion mainly due to a month-on-month increase in exports of mineral products, machinery, mechanical appliances and electrical equipment and vehicles and a month-on-month decrease in imports of mineral products

 

• Media statement by the Minister of Finance, Trevor A. Manuel, MP, on the preliminary revenue results for the fiscal year 2007/08 – 1 April 2008
  01 April 2008 – The robustness of the South African economy and the efficacy of our fiscal institutions have once again been confirmed by the revenue collection efforts of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in the fiscal year 2007/08 which ended at midnight last night

 

• New reportable arrangements legislation takes effect – 9 April 2008
  09 April 2008 – Around the world tax administrations find themselves at a disadvantage when responding to transactions that exploit the tax system. The inevitable delays between the conclusion of the transactions, submission of the related annual returns, and the returns’ assessment and audit mean that years may pass before the transactions are detected, analysed, and challenged

 

• Clarifying Customs procedures – 17 April 2008
  17 April 2008 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) wants to clarify the position and role of its customs operations in the cargo of a foreign vessel outside Durban harbour

 

• South African Trade Statistics for March 2008 – 30 April 2008
  30 April 2008 – Trade deficit decreases in February 2008 from R5.8 Billion to R5.0 Billion mainly due to a month-on-month increase in exports of precious stones and metals, chemicals and vehicles

 

• Launching the 2008 Tax Season – 15 May 2008
  15 May 2008 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today announces details for the 2008 Tax Season that, for the first time, place specific emphasis on the central role of employers in the Personal Income Tax (PIT) system

 

• Increase in compulsory VAT registration threshold – 28 May 2008
  28 May 2008 – Enquiries to SARS indicate that there is some public uncertainty about whether the increase announced in the 2008 Budget Review has been implemented already or not

 

• South African Trade Statistics for April 2008 – 30 May 2008
  30 May 2008 – Trade deficit increases in March 2008 from R5.0 billion to R10.0 billion mainly due to a month-on-month increase in imports of mineral products and machinery and a month-on-month decrease in exports of precious stones and metals

 

• Future of Commissioner Pravin Gordhan – 9 June 2008
  09 June 2008 – Various media reports have claimed that the Commissioner of SARS, Mr Pravin Gordhan, will be appointed as the next national Commissioner of the South African Police Service

 

• South African Trade Statistics for May 2008 – 30 June 2008
  30 June 2008 – Trade deficit decreases in May 2008 from R10.1 billion to R1.7 billion mainly due to a month-on-month decrease in imports of mineral products, machinery and vehicles and a month-on-month increase in exports of precious stones/ metals and base metals

 

• Filing period for all employers begins – 1 July 2008
  In the 2008 Tax Season, a new emphasis is being placed on the information supplied by employers to SARS in respect of the PAYE deducted from employees. This year employers will be required to meticulously and timeously submit records which will ensure that SARS is in possession of accurate information about their employees

 

• South African Trade Statistics for June 2008 – 31 July 2008
  31 July 2008 – Trade Deficit Decreases in June 2008 from R1.7 Billion to R0.2 Billion mainly due to a month-on-month decrease in imports of vehicles, Precious stones and metals and a month-on-month increase In exports of mineral products, precious stones and metals, chemicals and vehicles.

 

• Urgent appeal to employers for Tax Season 2008 – 12 August 2008
  The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today urgently appeals to all employers in the country to submit their payroll records to SARS as soon as possible as there are only 13 working days left to do so

 

• One week left to reconcile! – 25 August 2008
  From today the South African Revenue Service (SARS) will be extending hours of operation at branches across the country to accommodate the anticipated increase in employers seeking to submit their payroll records to SARS ahead of the Friday 29 August deadline

 

• South African Statistics for July 2008 – 29 August 2008
  Trade deficit increases in July 2008 from R2 billion to R4.3 billion mainly due to a month-on-month increase in imports of precious stones and metals and mineral products, and a month-on-month decrease in exports of precious stones and metals.

 

• More time granted for employers to submit – 31 August 2008
  The South African Revenue Service (SARS) will grant a reprieve to employers/businesses in the country by allowing more time for them to submit payroll information without facing penalties

 

• Ex SARS employees sentenced to 15 years imprisonment – 4 September 2008
  Four people – two of them former SARS employees – were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in the Pretoria Regional Court yesterday for defrauding SARS of approximately R500 000

 

• South African Trade Statistics for August 2008 – 30 September 2008
  Trade deficit decreases in august 2008 from R14.3 billion to R5.1 billion mainly due to a month-on-month decrease in imports of mineral products, machinery and motor vehicle components and a month-on-month decrease in exports of precious stones and metals, vehicles and machinery.

 

• Release of e@syFile for Tax Practitioners – 16 October 2008
  16 October 2008 – SARS today unveiled its latest instalment of the free e@syFile suite of software aimed at assisting tax practitioners complete and submit income tax returns on behalf of their clients.

 

• South African Trade Statistics for September 2008 – 31 October 2008
  Pretoria, 31 October 2008 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) announced today that September exports of R61.07 billion and imports of R68.18 billion resulted in a deficit of R7.1 billion. Imports increased by R2.66 billion (4.07%) to R68.18 billion and exports increased by R0.68 billion (1.12%) to R61.07 billion.

 

• Responding to Dave King – 4 November 2008
  The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is mandated by law to collect all taxes due to the fiscus from all eligible South African taxpayers in the right amount and at the right time.

 

• Changes to VAT Registration and Refund Process – 7 November 2008
  Friday 7 November 2008 – In February this year SARS introduced a simplified VAT registration process as part of our on-going commitment to ease administrative burden, especially of small business, to facilitate economic growth.

 

• SARS Act to Protect Taxpayers from VAT Abuse – 13 November 2008
  The South African Revenue Service has this week implemented a range of additional security measures to safeguard the VAT system from attempted abuse and fraud.

 

• SARS Wins Silver Medal in International Technology Award – 19 November 2008
  Last night SARS won the silver medal in the Enterprise category of the annual Adobe Max Awards North America for its newly developed e@syFile software application.

 

• 2008 Tax Statistics – 4 December 2008
  The 2008 Tax Statistics is a joint publication by the National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This publication is a first of its kind and the intention is to produce it on an annual basis.

 

• Changes To Provisional Tax Payments – 10 December 2008
  this year Parliament approved an important change to the second provisional tax payments process and the imposition of additional tax on underestimates relating to these payments

 

• South African Trade Statistics for November 2008 – 30 December 2008
  Pretoria, 30 December 2008 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today released trade statistics indicating that November exports of R53.878 billion and imports of R65.944 billion resulted in a deficit of R12.066 billion. Imports decreased by R9.501 billion (12.59%) to R65.944 billion and exports decreased by R11.775 billion (17.93%) to R53.878 billion