Deloitte Africa and Refuel have announced a strategic alliance that assists businesses to successfully claim their diesel rebates from the South African Revenue Service (SARS) diesel refund system.
The collaboration combines Refuel’s fuel-tracking technology with Deloitte Africa’s tax and advisory experience. It provides a practical ‘tech plus tax’ bridge for companies in the mining, agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries, amongst others.
Historically, diesel rebates – which can amount to R3,82 or more per litre – have been a vital source of working capital for heavy-industry players. Many businesses continue to rely on manual logbooks and fragmented reporting, however. This means claims are rejected because they don’t have the correct data. In the process, companies risk being charged penalties for non-compliance.
Until now, fuel management technology and SARS tax expertise have operated in silos. The Deloitte Africa and Refuel collaboration brings them together, to see that operational fuel data is captured in the exact format the tax team needs to substantiate claims.
“Additionally,” says Refuel CEO Ricky Luntz, “SARS is modernising the system to improve compliance while creating a faster, more transparent refund process for businesses. SARS’ rollout of its standalone, digital diesel refund system shifts the refund process from the value-added tax environment onto a dedicated, automated platform. Intended to streamline validations and improve transparency, the move provides an opportunity for businesses to digitise their systems and move away from manual logbooks. They stand to get their claims paid out faster if they provide data SARS can trust.”
