Citizens urged to make honest declarations
South African Revenue Services (SARS) Commissioner Edward Kieswetter on Monday urged taxpayers to make “honest declarations” as the 2019 tax filing season kicked off.
“If you are required to submit a return, we urge and request you to make an honest and accurate declaration of any additional income or legitimate expenses which we may not already have. Tax filing is about doing the right thing, it’s about paying our taxes in contribution towards building a capable state,” said Kieswetter in Pretoria.
He said SARS is in an intense effort to continue rebuilding public confidence in the revenue collector — a key ingredient for voluntary tax compliance in South Africa.
“Public confidence is important for us because, without it, we cannot achieve voluntary compliance. We do that through a very clear process of helping taxpayers to understand our obligations, and to ensure that we can deliver a service that is easy and simple for those many taxpayers who are honest and want to comply. We also make it difficult for taxpayers who choose not to comply, and make sure that we can enforce the necessary obligations,” he said.
SARS is urging taxpayers to comply with the legal tax requirements, by using its “updated digital channels” — e-filing and the SARS MobiApp.
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