Tax Season 2017 has officially opened and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has issued some helpful tips to assist taxpayers.

Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, released updated tax tables on the 22 February as is customary in the budget speech towards the end of each government financial year.

As the deadline for the submission of tax returns approaches, the South
African Revenue Service (SARS) has appealed to taxpayers to exercise caution
against "tax advisors' who guarantee them a tax refund.

The electronic filing system set up by South African Revenue Service has vastly
improved the tax submission process and SARS reported that over two million income
tax returns have been submitted already.

Do you dread filling out your tax return? Completing your individual tax return can be
cumbersome and overwhelming, especially if you are uninformed about the basics.
Yolandi Esterhuizen shares some tips on completing a tax return.

Just over 18 000 employees filed their tax returns before noon on the first day of
tax season, and the majority of them completed their returns online or via the SA
Revenue
Service (SARS) smart phone App.

The tax season for March 2012/ Feb 2013 finalises in November. Non-provisional Tax payers have to adhere to the September submission deadline for manual returns and November for SARS eFiling.

The South African Revenue Service (Sars) has exceeded its preliminary tax collection target. The Department of Finance has recognised this achievement as it marked the beginning of the new financial year. It is the first set of results after the introduction of SARS?s new five-year Compliance Programme in 2012.

An important issue that arises when a taxpayer is approached by the Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service with a request to provide information, is the extent of SARS? information gathering powers. This article considers the impact of the recently effective Tax Administration Act.

The department of finance along with SARS stated that the deadline for tax payments for the current financial year would be 28 March. Therefore all tax payments must be made by the 28th of March, as per the normal rule that the last working day of any month is regarded as the due date.

There are many misconceptions that taxpayers have about the tax-paying system.
Paying taxes often leaves payers feeling disillusioned with it. However the following
article discusses misconceptions and explains the overall process.

The South African Revenue Service has noticed an increase in fraudulent activity involving the SARS brand. They therefore would like to warn Taxpayers to be weary if recieving any suspicious messages.

The National Treasury and SARS will enter into negotiations with the US to conclude an inter-governmental agreement with regards to the USA?s Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act.

Tax payers have been reminded by SARS that the submission of the 2012 income tax annual returns is on 31 January. Provisional taxpayers are a small segment of the country's tax base comprising any person who received income which does not constitute remuneration.

the South African Revenue Service stated that 5.66 million income tax returns were submitted during the 2012 tax season. The returns recieved were over fifteen percent higher than last year as well as receiving outstanding returns.

Taxpayers have been reminded by SARS of the looming deadline for income tax returns while also announcing that some of its branches had extended its hours. To date almost 3.7 million income tax returns have been submitted to SARS for the 2012 tax season.

Kosie Louw was congratulated by Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan on his election as chairperson of the Global Forum for Tax Purposes Optimum transparency of information would be critical for improving tax compliance at a time when most countries face fiscal constraints.

SARS has come a long way in the past 18 years since the dawn of democracy making it easier for taxpayers to honour their tax obligations. The service has developed with increasing innovative methods being introduced with their future vision being to enhances economic growth and social development.

Tax revenue exceeded expectations in the last financial year which is a stark contrast to recent years when tax revenue contracted following the global economic crisis.

Taxpayers can now file their tax returns via their cellphones using the SARS eFiling mobisite application. They can also now use the application to complete and submit their tax returns which is a first for revenue authorities in Africa. Users must first register for SARS eFiling from an internet-connected PC or laptop.

The effectiveness and efficiency of revenue authorities remains a key challenge for African countries to optimise the potential revenue inflows from the renewed interest in Africa as an investment destination. The effectiveness and efficiency of revenue authorities remains a key challenge for African countries.

E-Filing users who require assistance while completing their tax returns online will be able to use the Help-You-eFile service, a new facility which allows users direct access to a SARS Call Centre agent while they complete their tax return.

A new online virtual tax assistant has been introduced which offers business employees greater assistance in completing their tax returns and interacting with SARS. TaxTim offers users a way of completing their tax returns at minimal cost in record time.