Sars extends online ‘filing season’ deadline

The ‘eFiling’ deadline for provisional taxpayers has been extended from January 29 to February 15, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) announced on Thursday.

It comes as goodwill gesture, with Sars noting “with deep concern” the unprecedented health challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, which have resulted in loss of lives, livelihoods and other pressures on South Africans.

Commenting on the move, Sars Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said: “The decision to extend the filing season was taken with due consideration of the traumatic effects being experienced by taxpayers who have lost loved ones, as well as businesses who have lost staff, during the devastating second wave of Covid-19.”

He urged taxpayers who received auto-assessment notices last year but who have not yet accepted the auto-assessments or edited and filed a return in response to the notice, to make use of the extension.

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The commissioner called on all taxpayers to comply with their legal obligations by February 15, 2021, noting that it is vital that all taxpayers remain compliant.

Kieswetter said failure to comply with their legal obligations will result in administrative penalties being levied.

“While Sars believes that most taxpayers and traders comply voluntarily and want to do the right thing, we also have measures we can use to enforce compliance. However, such enforcement always remains a last resort,” he added.

Kieswetter stressed that Sars has a legislative mandate to collect revenue due and to ensure compliance across all segments of taxpayers, as well as traders in the customs arena.

In its statement on the more than two-week extension to filling season, Sars encouraged taxpayers to use eFiling or the Sars MobiApp.

This is in line with previous communication on steps taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and protect both the taxpayers and Sars staff.