What’s New at SARS

2 June 2022 – The latest Tender Bids Received and Awarded Tenders documents are available.

2 June 2022 – The May 2022 issue of the Tax Practitioner Connect newsletter is now available. See the latest edition for news on amended criteria for RCBs, SARS readiness programme, tax directive legislative changes implemented and more.

1 June 2022 – Due to maintenance on [email protected], the application will not be available today, 1 June 2022, between 17:00 and 18:00. Our apologies for the inconvenience.

1 June 2022 – Customs & Excise Act, 1964: Publication details for tariff amendment notices R2124 and R2125, as published in Government Gazette 46465 on 1 June 2022, are now available

01 June 2022 – Third Party Data submissions for the 2022 reporting period of annual Third Party Data Returns that includes the associated data files and declarations for the various data types [IT3(b), IT3(c), IT3(s), MED, INS, FTI] is NOW CLOSED!

If your data submission is still outstanding, you are urged to urgently submit the respective data files and declarations without further delay, as incomplete, late or non-submissions may be liable for penalties and would impact your respective clients.

It is encouraging to convey that 99% of the required Third Party Data submissions have been receipted as at 1PM today and we would like to thank those Third Party Data Providers that made their submissions on or before the due date (31 May 2022).

Should you experience any challenges while making your submissions, you are welcome to contact us by emailing SARS Third Party Data Support ([email protected]).

For more detailed information about SARS Third Party Data Submissions, please visit the Third Party Data Submission Platform webpage.

1 June 2022 – RFI04-2022: EPMO Project and Portfolio Management System

1 June 2022 – The Annual Reconciliation Declaration (EMP501) submission period closed on 31 May. Employers who have not yet submitted their annual reconciliation declarations can still submit their EMP501 declarations.  Please take note that administrative penalties will be charged. Click here for more information on Administrative penalties.

31 May 2022 – Customs & Excise Act, 1964: The tariff amendment notices, scheduled for publication in the Government Gazette, relate to the amendments to –

• Part 5A of Schedule No. 1, to extend the date of the reduction of R1.50 per litre of the general fuel levy for petrol from R3.85/l to R2.35/l and for diesel from R3.70/l to R2.20/l, as announced by the Minister of Finance on 31 March 2022; and
• Part 3 of Schedule No. 6, as a consequence to the extension of the date of the reduction of the general fuel levy, as announced by the Minister of Finance on 31 March 2022; the diesel refund provisions are adjusted accordingly.

The amendments are with effect from 6 April 2022 up to and including 5 July 2022

Publication details will be made available later

31 May 2022 – RFP52/2021: Appointment of a panel of service providers for the provision of forklifts for the period of five (5) years

Please note that the documents have been amended and the closing date has changed to 30 June 2022.

31 May 2022 –  This notification serves as a reminder that Third Party Data submissions for the 2022 reporting period of annual Third Party Data Returns that includes the associated data files and declarations [IT3(b), IT3(c), IT3(s), MED, INS, FTI] are due by Tuesday, 31 May 2022.

Third Party Data Providers are urged to make timely submissions, as incomplete, late or non-submissions may be liable for penalties and would impact your respective clients. It is of crucial importance that data submissions are complete and accurate first time around as this data is direct inputs into the SARS processes that include pre-population and auto-assessments of tax returns. Your data submissions are enabling our ability  to offer a seamless service and experience to taxpayers (your clients) in line with our objective to make it easy for taxpayers to comply with their obligations.

It is encouraging to convey that 70% of the required Third Party Data submissions have been receipted as at 1PM today and we would like to thank those Third Party Data Providers that made their submissions well in advance of the due date.

Should you experience any challenges while making your submissions, you are welcome to contact us by emailing SARS Third Party Data Support ([email protected])

For more detailed information about SARS Third Party Data Submissions, please visit the Third Party Data Submission Platform webpage.

31 May 2022 – SARS today release trade statistics for April 2022 recording a preliminary trade balance surplus of R15.49 billion attributable to exports of R151.79 billion and imports of R136.30 billion.

For the full Trade Statistics Media Release for April 2022, click here.

Or visit the Trade Statistics webpage.

30 May 2022 – Customs Weekly List of Unentered Goods

30 May 2022 – RFP52/2021: Appointment of a panel of service providers for the provision of forklifts for the period of five (5) years

27 May 2022 – RFP50/2021: Provision of Fleet Management Services for a Period of Five (5) Years:

• Please note that the closing date for submission has been extended to 3 June 2022 at 11:00.

27 May 2022 – RFP51/2021: Appointment of a service provider for the marketing and advertising services

• Updated questions and answers
• Notice to bidders

27 May  2022 – SARS would like to advise representative taxpayers of trusts of their duty to register trusts for income tax purposes.

Trusts are included in the definition of a “person” in terms of the Income Tax Act, 1962 (ITA), and as such the trustees or representative taxpayers have a responsibility to register all trusts for income tax purposes. Trusts that are required to register include all local trusts, non-resident trusts that are effectively managed in the Republic of South Africa as well as non-resident trusts that derive income from a South African source (for further guidance refer to FAQs on the SARS website https://www.sars.gov.za/businesses-and-employers/trusts/).

The representative taxpayers of trusts are the trustees of a trust, but the responsibility to submit the tax return may be conferred on a specific trustee or a tax practitioner. SARS wishes to remind trustees of trusts that they are required to ensure that the tax returns of trusts are submitted. Currently a trust, whether active or dormant, must submit an income tax return on an annual basis in line with the requirements issued annually by the Commissioner (as is required in terms of section 66 of the ITA). For the 2021 year of assessment, the filing season for trusts opened on the 1^st of July 2021.

See the full media statement here.

26 May 2022 – The June Western Cape schedule for Mobile Tax Units has been published.

26 May 2022 – The Illicit Trade Unit (ITU) of the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in Durban has clamped down on an importer of 20 containers of sugar that were declared as containing rice, which is duty free. See the full media release here.

26 May 2022 – Tax Administration Act, 2011: The public notice, scheduled for publication in the Government Gazette on 3 June 2022, relates to the notice in terms of section 25, read with section 66(1) of the Income Tax Act, 1962, specifying the persons to submit income tax returns for the 2022 tax year and the periods for submission

Publication details will be made available on 3 June 2022

26 May 2022 – RFP51/2021: Appointment of a service provider for the marketing and advertising services.

• Service level agreement is now available