Ramaphosa extends Kieswetter’s stay at Sars for ‘orderly transition’

South African Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Edward Kieswetter’s will continue to be at the helm of the revenue service.

This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa agreed to extend Kieswetter’s tenure at Sars.

Kieswetter’s term is set to end in April when a new commissioner will be appointed.

Extension

However, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, said Kieswetter’s term would be extended to allow for a smooth transition for the new commissioner.

“In March 2019, President Ramaphosa appointed Commissioner Kieswetter in terms of Section 6 of the South African Revenue Service Act, for a five-year term that started on 1 May 2019. His contract of employment comes to an end on 30 April 2024.”

Meanwhile, Sars continues to be successful following the state capture years.

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Catch-up

Last year, Kieswetter said the revenue collector had to catch up with the digital age, adding that the revenue service used to be a leader in digital modernisation before setbacks from state capture and budget cuts.

“Partly due to financial constraints… budgets were then frozen for a number of years and, Sars fell behind in driving technological innovation,” he said.

The Sars commissioner said the revenue collector had since managed to restore some additional funds to continue with the modernisation process.

Kieswetter said that the challenge faced by the revenue collector was not only having to play catch-up after many years of under-investment, but also the need to accelerate modernisation to remain relevant in the digital landscape.

Tax collection

The revenue service also had a successful tax season last year with seven million taxpayers having filed their returns.

According to the tax collector, the compliance rate increased by a million in 2023, up from six million in 2022.

Sars’ digital efforts seemed to have paid off as 88% of returns were made using eFiling and MobiApp platforms.

The revenue collector reported that 93% of returns were processed in just 5 seconds while 79% of refunds were processed within 72 hours. As a result, more than R29 billion worth of refunds had already been paid out.

Additional reporting by Vukosi Maluleke

ALSO READ: Sars thanks compliant taxpayers, while warning those who’ve failed to comply