The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has announced that the Tax Administration Act (TAA), which is intended to simplify and provide greater coherence in South African tax administration law, and was promulgated on July 4, 2012, largely came into effect on October 1, 2012.
The TAA is said to eliminate duplication, remove redundant requirements and align disparate requirements that had previously existed in a number of different tax acts. It is meant to create a single, modern framework for the common administrative provisions of the country’s tax code.
In August this year, it issued a short guide to provide assistance for taxpayers to understand their obligations and entitlements under the new legislation. It is pointed out in the guide that some administrative provisions, that only apply and are unique to the administration of a specific tax type, remain in the legislation imposing that tax. In certain instances, therefore, both the TAA and another tax act may prescribe administrative procedures for the same tax, and a taxpayer must comply with both.
