The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is opening more channels to engage with taxpayers to boost tax compliance in the country.
The tax collector has launched USSD services, also known as fast codes, that allow taxpayers to perform basic services – and connect directly with SARS if necessary.
USSD stands for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data, which is a communication system used by mobile network operators to provide various services to their customers.
South Africans may find it similar to network operator services that allow top-ups of credit or data by entering certain numbers on their mobile devices.
To access SARS’s new services on the phone, a taxpayer can type a USSD string of *134*7277#.
The services are free and can be used on feature or smartphones even without a direct internet connection.
The following additional tax-related services are offered to taxpayers through the USSD channel:
What is my tax number?
SARS said that this service should be used when you want to verify that you are registered for personal income tax purposes. This service displays your tax number on your mobile device.
Account balance
“You can use this service if you are registered for personal income tax and want to determine the balance of your tax account. This service will display your tax balance, including your personal income tax and administrative fines.”
Do I have to file a tax return?
You should use this service if you want to check whether you are registered for personal income tax and whether you have to file an income tax return.
e-booking
SARS said: “Taxpayers with standard basic mobile services can also select an eBooking option. When the eBooking option is selected, a SARS service agent calls and contacts the taxpayer, ultimately setting up a telephone appointment to resolve any tax-related questions on behalf of the taxpayer.”
Process
The tax authorities have provided the following steps to use the new feature:
Step 1
Choose the following SARS USS sequence characters:
*134*7277#
Step 2
Select your applicable tax resolution request:
Enter the relevant number. Tap Answer
Step 3
Fill in your personal details:
Enter your ID/passport/asylum number Tap Reply
Step 4
Following the steps above will direct you to the information you were looking for. Once you’ve read this, you can tap Reply and either:
Select 1 to return to the main menu. Select 2 to allow the service to exist
Modernization
The tax authorities have been working on modernization in recent years.
Under the leadership of Commissioner Edward Kieswetter, the IRS has focused on making non-compliance more difficult and costly while also making it easier for a taxpayer to file a complaint.
Incorporating USSD alongside traditional SMS technology is another example of this goal.
SARS has launched an initiative with nine primary strategic objectives in its Vision 2024.
Vision 2024 has the primary goal of making SARS more efficient, contemporary and effective as a compliance authority. To better achieve this, SARS has conducted a massive recruitment campaign.
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