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Bashing Your Head Against the Wall
- 20 June 2024
- VAT
- Christo Theron
Objecting to an assessment issued by SARS often feels like bashing your head against a brick wall. But remember, if you bash your head against the wall for long enough, the wall will eventually come down!
Taking the Emotion Out of Objections
Remember that objecting to an assessment is a legislated process, no different from any other interaction with SARS. A disagreement exists between SARS and a taxpayer, and the prescribed objection process is in place to handle such disagreements. There should be no emotion involved; it's just the law.
So why is there so much emotion involved?
Let’s Explore
The process of objecting to an assessment perceived as incorrect or unfair naturally results in emotions of anger, frustration, and sometimes desperation! More often than not, it's simply a feeling of "I do not need this in my life right now (or ever)!"
The Reality
The reality is that once an assessment has been raised by SARS, and no objection is lodged, the assessment becomes final and constitutes a debt due and payable by the taxpayer.
The important thing is to spend as little energy and effort on the objection as possible. This can be achieved by ensuring that the objection is prepared and submitted in the prescribed form, avoiding the need to redo objections that are rejected by SARS for not complying with the requirements of the Tax Administration Act.
The requirements in the Tax Administration Act are very specific. An objection can therefore be prepared as a tick-the-box exercise to ensure that all necessary elements are included. This avoids the frustration of having to redo objections and exacerbates the levels of frustration and emotion in the process.
The Answer
Do it right the first time, simple as that!
Join Christo Theron on July 9th for "Navigating your Way through VAT Refunds and Objections"
- Click here for a short introduction video.
- Click here to book your seat.