SARS to extend working hours ahead of tax season deadline
Offices will be open from 8am – 1pm in 25 branches around the country, including Gauteng.
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) branch offices will for the next two weeks extend their working hours to include Saturdays in anticipation of an increase in taxpayers, who will file their returns.
The revenue service will extend working hours to cover Saturday, 14 November and Saturday, 21 November to assist taxpayers with their returns. The tax season will conclude on 27 November.
“Taxpayers are to note that only issues relating to tax return submissions will be dealt with,” said SARS on Wednesday.
Offices will be open from 8am – 1pm in 25 branches around the country, including Gauteng, Free State, North West, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Western and the Eastern Cape.
To date, over 3.56 million taxpayers have filed their income tax returns, in accordance with SARS’ forecasts.
“As a result, approximately 24 000 taxpayers are filing their returns per day. But the volume is expected to increase with two weeks to go before the tax season ends on 27 November 2015,” noted the revenue service.
In the last few days, SARS has seen an increasing in queues at branches. In addition, the volume of calls handled by the SARS contact centre has shown a marked increase as the deadline approaches.
SARS has urged all those who have not yet submitted a return to do so as soon as possible.
For a complete list of branches that will be open on 14 and 21 November 2015, taxpayers can visit the SARS website on www.sars.gov.za.
For more information taxpayers can contact the SARS contact centre on 0800 00 SARS (7277). – SAnews.gov.za
