Ignore SARS' new tax alert at your own risk, expert warns

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has introduced a new alert system for this year's tax filing season

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has introduced a new alert system for this year's tax filing season.

This is according to Nico Theron, founder of Unicus Tax Specialists SA, who said the new declaration alert questionnaire is designed to help taxpayers identify and resolve potential issues before filing their tax returns.

Theron said taxpayers will likely receive the alert before submitting their returns, warning them that certain information may be incorrect, incomplete or missing.

“Remember, SARS knows almost everything about you,” he said. “It will serve as a warning about the wealth of third-party data available to SARS and what needs to be be declared and how to declare it correctly.”