D-day for non-provisional taxpayers
JOHANNESBURG - Non-provisional taxpayers, who have yet to submit their annual income tax returns, have until midnight to do so electronically before they are hit with penalties.
South African Revenue Services spokesperson Adrian Lackey said that the revenue service was encouraged by the public’s growing levels of compliance.
“Since 9am, 4.3 million tax returns have been submitted for 2013. This is excluding more than one million outstanding submissions made from previous years,” Lackey said.
In 2012, Sars received 5.66 million tax submissions and, according to Lackey, the revenue service expected to meet or even surpass that figure this year.
He said that many people had submitted earlier this year in the hope of receiving tax refunds.
He added that Sars had paid out R14 billion in tax refunds since July 2013; R2 billion more than it had paid out in 2012.
According to the revenue service, penalties – which are dependent on a person’s taxable income – range from R250 to R16 000 a month for each month that the return remains outstanding.
Additionally, Sars is permitted by law to deduct the penalties from tax deviators’ salaries or bank accounts.
Those earning less than R250 000 for a full year before tax, who have no additional sources of income and no deductions like medical or travel expenses or retirement annuities, are not required to submit a return.
