On Tuesday evening, many South African taxpayers were startled when they received a threatening SMS from the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
The aggressive language used in the messages prompted taxpayers to express their frustration on social media, believing that SARS was resorting to unprofessional tactics to intimidate them into submission.
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Responding swiftly to the public outcry, SARS issued a public statement last night, apologizing for the incident and announcing the suspension of the SMS service.
SARS acknowledged that the SMS message, which was sent earlier in the week regarding outstanding tax returns, did not meet the high professional standards that the organization strives to uphold.
SARS expressed sincere regret for the manner in which the matter was handled and the frustration it may have caused honest taxpayers.
The organization also apologized for any inconvenience caused. The intended purpose of the message was to serve as a genuine and helpful reminder to taxpayers to fulfil their legal obligation of filing their tax returns on time.
SARS emphasized that most taxpayers are honest and generally appreciate such reminders. The organization reassured taxpayers that they should not feel threatened but acknowledged that the way the message was crafted had an unintended effect of creating a sense of fear and intimidation.
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The message unfortunately referenced the possibility of prosecution for taxpayers’ failure to file their returns, as required by law.
While SARS is empowered by law to remind all taxpayers of their legal obligation to file their relevant returns by the due date, the organization clarified that it does not initiate legal action without engaging with taxpayers first.
SARS explained that reminders are often ignored by some taxpayers, leading to a situation where legal action may become necessary. Even in such cases, taxpayers are reminded about their obligation to file outstanding returns before any further steps are taken.
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