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2024 Legal and Policy

Legal and Policy - 29 August 2024

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SARS

  • 22 August 2024 – The Tariff Amendments landing page has been updated to expand the note section below the heading “Technical tariff amendments” to read “2. The requested 8-digit tariff subheadings will be reviewed continuously and if there is no usage / imports for a period of two years, the subheadings will be deleted from the tariff book.”
  • 23 August 2024 – Make sure your Tax Practitioner is accredited and legit.

How to check if your tax affairs are in trusted hands:

  • 23 August 2024 – The latest Government Connect Newsletter Issue 21 is available. This month we highlight the benefits of eFiling and SARS’ self-help services available on mobile devices.
  • 23 August 2024 – The latest Tax Practitioner Connect Newsletter Issue 55 is available. This month we highlight the benefits of eFiling and SARS’ self-help services available on mobile devices. Chapter 11, Part D of the Tax Administration Act (TAA) reminds taxpayers, tax practitioners and representative taxpayers to be aware of the pitfalls of assisting taxpayers to evade tax obligations.
  • 23 August 2024 – Persons who intend to withdraw from the savings pot of the Two-Pot Retirement System from 1 September 2024 must be registered for tax. Those who are not registered must register before they apply to their relevant fund. If a person is not registered for tax, the request for a tax directive sent from the fund to SARS will be rejected.

Contributions to retirement funds are not taxed. Therefore, tax will be deducted from any amount withdrawn. Tax will be calculated at the tax rate applicable to the individual.

Taxpayers must also ensure that they have no outstanding returns and do not owe SARS. Debt owed to SARS will be deducted from the withdrawal amount.

Taxpayers are not required to go to a SARS office, as most applications are available on one of SARS’s digital or mobile channels.

Read the full media release here.

  • 23 August 2024 – The Withholding Tax on Royalties Guide including details of the latest version of the Withholding Tax on Royalties’ Return (WTR01) has been published.
  • 23 August 2024 – The SMME Traders Connect Newsletter edition 4 is now available. In the October 2023 and March 2024 publications, we focused on SARS Customs administered incentives, particularly the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) and Customs Deferment. This was to raise awareness about these incentives so that our SMME traders can learn more about them and use the incentives to benefit their businesses and improve their compliance. This publication continues to zoom in on more incentives that the SMME trader community can benefit from.
  • 26 August 2024 – The state provides state warehouses for the safekeeping of goods. These are managed by Customs. The purpose of this list of unentered goods is to notify the importer, exporter and any other person that has interest in the goods that the goods have been taken up into the State warehouse and if they remain unentered they will be disposed in accordance with the provisions of the Customs & Excise Act.

See the latest Customs Weekly List of Unentered Goods here.

  • 26 August 2024 – You are invited to attend the “Smart Taxation: Raising Revenue and Reducing Inequality in South Africa,” hosted by the Southern Africa Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED) programme. The session will focus on the role of Personal Income Tax (PIT) and progressive taxation strategies in addressing South Africa’s dual challenges of revenue generation and inequality reduction. Panelists, including Christopher Axelson, Acting Head of Tax and Financial Sector Policy at National Treasury; Johnstone Makhubu, Deputy Commissioner: Taxpayer Engagement and Operations at the South African Revenue Service (SARS); and Yanga Mputa, Tax Ombud at the Office of the Tax Ombud, will lead discussions on the current PIT system, recent reforms, and their impact on taxpayer behaviour, revenue collection, and inequality. The dialogue will also cover advancements in tax enforcement and offer policy recommendations based on SA-TIED research to improve the redistributive impact of the PIT system, support economic growth, and optimise the overall tax mix when combined with direct transfers.

This event will be held in a hybrid format, offering both in-person and online attendance options.

Date: 30 August 2024

Time: 11:00 – 13:00

Venue: University of South Africa (Kgorong Building), Preller St, Muckleneuk

Registration: Please register here.

For any enquiries, contact Abena Larbi-Odam at abena.larbiodam@wider.unu.edu.

  • 27 August 2024 – As you are aware SARS has been making system enhancements to the Tax Directives process to accommodate the Two-Pot Retirement Scheme that will commence on 1 September 2024. While trade testing had already commenced on 1 July 2024, it should be noted that the trade testing has been extended to 30 August 2024 to allow for the testing of the latest changes that had been incorporated into IBIR-006 Tax Directives interim Interface Specification Version 6.705. These updates include:
  • Rebates Calculation
  • Calculation of 1 third allowable Lump Sum
  • Definition of Annual Renumeration of IRP3(a)

The current trade testing link will remain active for trade testing and the NCTS mailbox will remain open until 30 August 2024.

All submissions for trade testers and ISVs to SARS must be concluded by 15h00 on 30 August 2024 and will be processed as normal. Any submission received after this cut off time will be rejected. “Live” submissions can commence again after the software implementation on 30 August 2024. Please note all ISV submissions to SARS henceforth must be based on the IBIR-006 Tax Directives interim Interface Specification Version 6.705 requirements. The steps for submitting test files remains the same as previously communicated.

For trade testing queries please email ncts@sars.gov.za.

  • 27 August 2024 – Before you apply to your retirement fund for your two-pot withdrawal, you must make sure that your tax affairs are in order with the SARS.

First ask yourself:

  • Do you have a tax reference number?
  • Do you have any outstanding returns?
  • Do you have any tax debt?

On how to check the above and for frequently asked questions & more information, see the Two-Pot Retirement Fund System webpage.

  • 27 August 2024 – SARS will provide you a further opportunity to test the updated e@syFile™ Employer build before the formal release in mid-September 2024 for the Employer Interim Reconciliation.

The Business Requirements Specification V23.0.0 for the Employer Interim Reconciliation submission period 202408 is available.

We are in the process of moving to a new platform and for testing until 13 September 2024 both the BETA Flex and Replatform versions will be available for testing.

The changes pertaining to the Replatform BETA build are as follows:

  • A change in the look and feel i.e. the screen colours and working of the fields that are now more aligned to all the HTML5 forms SARS currently utilise;
  • The use of a split database i.e. the employer copy and pastes the relevant employer information from the “old” platform to the “new” platform to create an employer database for each reconciliation period;
  • Error messages are no longer displayed in a pop–up but displayed on the particular field the administrator is currently typing in.

The changes pertaining to both the Flex and Replatform BETA builds are as follows:

  • New source code for the saving withdrawal benefit for two-pot system
  • Minor amendments to source code validations

To download the BETA build:

  • Kindly send the public address range of your organisation to cgreyling1@sars.gov.za for whitelisting request. It is recommended that you obtain this information from your IT Network Support team given the dynamic nature of IP addresses based on IT security protocols instituted by your organisation hence the request for public address/range of your organisation instead of your IP address. The IP address will be whitelisted, and confirmation will be issued.

Note: where confirmation has been received that this process has been completed, no further request needs to be made.

  • After whitelisting a link will be shared and the BETA build for the Flex and Replatformed version of e@syFile can be downloaded.
  • The login details will be shared with the coordinator.

During the testing period all online functionality will be disabled to prevent the incorrect submission of test data into the production environment. This means the application will default to offline mode. Certain menu options will also be disabled as a precautionary measure.

SARS will analyse the feedback from the external testers during the test cycle. Please nominate a coordinator to act as liaison and provide the person’s contact details to SARS.

The coordinator must consolidate their organisation’s feedback to and send it to cgreyling1@sars.gov.za. It is preferred that feedback is sent daily.

  • 28 August 2024 – Achieving our Vision 2024 of a smart, modern SARS with unquestionable integrity that is trusted and admired is of paramount importance. Pivotal to the delivery of our vision are our digital platforms and technology infrastructure. To provide clarity and certainty, make it easy for taxpayers and traders to comply with their obligations and building public trust and confidence, our technology assets must demonstrate the highest levels of availability, robustness, and security.

In accordance with our Vision and Strategic Objectives, which include modernising our systems to provide Digital and Streamlined online services, we are hard at work ensuring that our digital platforms and technology infrastructure are available, robust, and secure, by performing regular upgrades, enhancements, and maintenance.

Considering the above, SARS Digital platform upgrades are scheduled for Friday, 6 September 2024 from 20h00 to 08h00 on Monday, 9 September 2024.

During this time, you may experience intermittent service interruption on our eFiling, Tax and Customs Digital Platforms.

Stakeholders are therefore urged to submit priority Goods Declarations (bills of entry) and Road Manifest by Friday, 6 September 2024 @ 14h00.

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NATIONAL TREASURY

AuthorLegal and Policy
DivisionTax
Keywords
Legal and Policy
29 August 2024
SARS
Categories
Legal and Policy
Date29 August 2024