5 things South African taxpayers should know when SARS owes you a refund
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The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has generally been slow to refund amounts of excess payments due to taxpayers, with delayed refunds one of the top complaints that taxpayers have about the revenue service.
Law firm ENSAfrica said that the serious delays often experienced by taxpayers in this regard have been the subject of a systemic investigation by the Tax Ombud, too.
But it seems that this frustrating practice will persist for as long as the current pressure on the fiscus prevails. Fortunately, taxpayers are not without legal recourse when a refund is due by SARS.
Earlier in 2020, SARS relished the fact that it had paid R2.4-billion in refunds to taxpayers, saying it was “a major cash injection into the economy at a very critical period”. But the revenue service has generally been slow to refund excess payments. The Tax Ombud, for instance, reported that in the 2018/19 financial year, 24.43% of all complaints received by its office related to delayed refunds – the second-highest number of complaints.
The serious delays often experienced by taxpayers have been the subject of a systemic investigation by the ombud, but it seems this frustrating practice will persist as long as pressure on the fiscus prevails. Fortunately, taxpayers are not without legal recourse.