CAPE TOWN: South Africa’s Office of the Tax Ombud has completed its provisional report on allegations of undue delays in the payment of tax refunds by the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
The Tax Ombud, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, launched an investigation into media reports of “systemic problems” at SARS that resulted in delayed refunds, in particular of value-added tax. These reports included allegations that SARS may have intentionally delayed payments in order to bolster revenue collection statistics, which SARS has denied.
The Tax Ombud has sent a copy of the provisional report to SARS, and said that it expected to receive SARS’s comments by July 24. Following this, the Tax Ombud will finalize its report for publication.
The Office of the Tax Ombud is an independent and impartial state institution that seeks to resolve disputes between taxpayers and SARS.