WITH less than three weeks to go before the tax season deadline (Thursday, 25 November) for non-provisional taxpayers, the South African Revenue Service has extended its operating hours and will be open on Saturdays.
The SARS office in Durban will be one of the offices which will be operating on Saturday, 12 and 19 November from 8am to 1pm.
SARS reported in a press statement that they expect an increase in the number of taxpayers filing income tax returns. SARS branches which will be opened on Saturdays will exclusively focus on assisting taxpayers with the completion of their income tax returns during this period.
Taxpayers are advised that branches will operate during normal hours throughout the week. SARS has already received over 4,7-million income tax returns.
To avoid long queues, taxpayers are encouraged to use SARS eFiling to submit their tax returns as it is the quickest and easiest way to submit a return and is available 24 hours. To register, visit www.sarsefiling.gov.za https://www.sarsefiling.gov.za or visit www.sars.gov.za, https://www.sars.gov.za.
eFilers requiring assistance can make use of the free Help-You-eFile service by simply clicking on the Help-You-eFile icon on eFiling and following the prompts to get access to a friendly SARS Contact Centre agent who will help them every step of the way during the eFiling process.
Taxpayers calling the SARS Contact Centre who are too busy to be put on hold can request for a SARS agent to call them back without losing their place in the queue. By following the voice prompts, a SARS agent will return calls and provide telephonic assistance.
SARS would like to express its appreciation to those taxpayers who have submitted their income tax returns. Those taxpayers who have not yet submitted their tax returns are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to avoid the last minute rush.
