South African taxpayers are being urged to be cautious when choosing a tax advisor, following a warning from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner, Edward Kieswetter.
Kieswetter expressed concern about a trend of "non-compliance and delinquent behaviour" among some tax practitioners. This comes after the recent announcement of SARS' 2023 financial year revenue collections.
We’ve identified 53 tax practitioners who remain non-compliant in their taxes, which explains, in part, how they advise their clients and why their clients are equally delinquent,
Kieswetter says SARS identified 14 parents at one time who underestimated their provisional taxes.
"In one law firm alone, in The Square in Sandton, we found 14 partners of this law firm who underestimated their own provisional taxes," said Kieswetter.
SARS will revoke licences from all non-compliant practitioners. Eight licences have already been revoked and SARS warned that criminal investigations are underway against individuals who fail to honour their tax obligations.
Tertius Troost, a senior tax specialist at Mazars, says members of the public must first verify whether a tax practitioner is registered with SARS and has the relevant qualifications.
The first step is to verify their qualifications and registration status. Only registered tax practitioners can legally charge fees for tax return submissions or offer tax advice.
Troost also highlights a user-friendly tool available on the SARS website in which taxpayers can simply enter a tax practitioner's number to confirm their registration status.
Troost encouraged members of the public to ask their tax advisors directly about their registration status. They believe legitimate tax practitioners will have no problem providing this information.
Don't hesitate to ask your advisor directly…A legitimate tax professional will readily provide their SARS-issued Practitioner Number (PR Number).
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