It’s that time of the year when every employed South African has to get their affairs in order. What are we talking about? The dreaded tax filing season.
Now that Sars has instituted the auto-assessment procedure, the majority of taxpayers need not do much, besides checking to see whether all the details on the ITA34 are correct.
But let’s not beat around the bush. What most of us want to know is if we owe Sars or if Sars owes us.
It’s the middle of the year and many can do with a significant windfall.
So, when an electrical engineer, who goes by the handle @Yanga_Co on Twitter, shared a screenshot of his notice of assessment on social media, it got tongues wagging.
The main reason being that he’s “getting R66200,66 on tax returns.”
I am getting R66200,66 on tax returns. pic.twitter.com/2IS58HbxQA
— Yanga (@Yanga_Co) July 3, 2023
Online users were quick to jump into his comments section. When one tweep asked how much Yanga is worth, he casually responded, “Lol, I am worth alot.”
His willingness to share his tax return rebate inspired some to do the same.
Hai lol 😂 sikhaphe nina ezweni Yanga pic.twitter.com/O9CFf48a5l
— Downtoearth (@Sbugelo) July 3, 2023
Others just wanted to know what he did to get such a big lump sum in return, asking, “Did you submit your own assessment or they automatically did it for you?”
Yanga replied and said he had used a tax consultant, and was happy to share his referral.
As to his post, somebody pointed out that over-sharing might be to his detriment. “You will be audited soon. Stop posting financial information on social media,” they wrote.
Either way, the mere fact that Yanga’s post had gotten people talking, shows that South Africans discussing money is no longer considered taboo.
In the meantime, taxpayers have been asked to be on the lookout for the latest Sars scams.
Sharing a series of online threats on their website, they have warned against the latest PayFast SMS scam and emails titled “INTERNAL COMMUNICATION from dirco.gov.za.”
If you suspect you have received a phishing/scam message, call the Sars Contact Centre on 0800 00 7277.