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Legal & policy - 1 October 2026

Description

SOUTH AFRICAN REVENUE SERVICE (SARS)

The principal issues are as follows:

1. Whether SARS was correct to issue a third-party notice to Bidvest Bank.

2. Whether SARS was correct not to issue a final demand prior issuing the notice

3. Whether the applicant was entitled to the funds held by Bidvest Bank

  • 23 September 2026 – This edition highlights key dates and requirements for taxpayers, employers, trusts, and third-party data providers, including Trust Filing Season, bi-annual Third-Party Data submissions, Employer Interim Reconciliation, and the Individual Filing Season deadline. It also covers extended Saturday opening hours at selected SARS service centres. Find guidance on the Voluntary Disclosure Programme, Tax Compliance Status, and international transfers, as well as a new secure option to update contact details on eFiling without logging in. Stakeholders are invited to comment on VAT Modernisation by 16 October 2026. We encourage readers to note the key updates and take the necessary action within the prescribed timeframes.
  • 23 September 2026 – This edition highlights key dates and requirements for taxpayers, employers, trusts, and third-party data providers, including Trust Filing Season, bi-annual Third-Party Data submissions, Employer Interim Reconciliation, and the Individual Filing Season deadline. It also covers extended Saturday opening hours at selected SARS service centres. Find guidance on the Voluntary Disclosure Programme, Tax Compliance Status, and international transfers, as well as a new secure option to update contact details on eFiling without logging in. Stakeholders are invited to comment on VAT Modernisation by 16 October 2026. We encourage readers to note the key updates and take the necessary action within the prescribed timeframes.
  • 23 September 2026 – SARS is enhancing its systems to implement the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) amendments introduced through CRS Schema 3.0 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). These enhancements are intended to strengthen tax transparency, improve data quality, and enhance reporting requirements for South African financial institutions and SARS. To enhance SARS’s third-party data environment, the following changes have been introduced:

Null Submissions

For active RFIs with no reportable information for a reporting period:

· A system-generated null-submission indicator has been introduced for SARS internal processing.

· The requirement to submit an FTI02 declaration after a successful FTI01 null submission has been removed.

· A Submitting Entity may include up to 20 RFIs in a single FTI01 submission.

Full Data Submissions

Key enhancements include:

· Bringing certain new financial products and institutions into scope, including e-money products, payment institutions, digital wallet platforms and central bank currency accounts.

· Strengthening due diligence obligations through robust self-certification processes and tax residency identification.

· Enhancing taxpayer and controlling person information to improve completeness.

· Improving Tax Identification Number (TIN) information.

· Strengthening data quality standards to increase accuracy and usability.

While these enhancements are expected to have minimal impact on SARS’s day-to-day operations and employees, they will support greater use of high-quality information, more effective compliance monitoring, improved identification of offshore tax non-compliance, and enhanced revenue collection. The following external guide has been updated:

· GEN-ENR-01-G04 – How to Submit the FTI01 and Declare Foreign Tax Information FTI02 – External Guide

Refer to the latest external BRS for AEOI: CRS & FATCA reporting:

· Final External BRS Version 3.0.0-17

  • 25 September 2026 – The facility codes used in Box 30 on the Goods Declaration has been updated to include details of the terminal for Port Dynamics (Pty) Ltd., located in Durban. This addition enables Customs to transmit electronic messages communicating the status of the consignment to these facilities.

SC-CF-19-A02 – Facilities Code List – External Annexure

  • 25 September 2026 – Tax Administration Act, 2011: Public Notice in Government Gazette 55438 of 25 September 2026: Notice 7958 extends the date by which a provisional taxpayer, who received an automatic assessment in terms of paragraph 3(3) of the Notice to submit returns may request a reduced or additional assessment.
  • 28 September 2026 – The state provides state warehouses for the safekeeping of goods. These are managed by Customs. The purpose of this list of unentered goods is to notify the importer, exporter and any other person that has interest in the goods that the goods have been taken up into the State warehouse and if they remain unentered they will be disposed in accordance with the provisions of the Customs & Excise Act. See the latest Customs Weekly List of Unentered Goods here.
  • 30 September 2026 – Income Tax Act, 1962
  • Table 3 – Rates at which interest-free or low interest loans are subject to income tax
  • Taxation in South Africa 2026
  • Tax Guide for Small Businesses (2025/2026)
  • 30 September 2026 – Income Tax Act, 1962 (archive)
  • 30 September 2026 – Income Tax Act, 1962
  • 30 September 2026 – The Reportable Arrangement External Guide has been amended to remove the option for requesting an Advance Tax Ruling in respect of arrangements that may be subject to the reporting requirements of section 35 of the Tax Administration Act No. 28 of 2011. The content of the Guide has also been simplified to improve clarity.
  • 30 September 2026 – South Africa recorded a preliminary trade balance surplus of R20.5 billion in August 2026. This surplus was attributable to exports of R181.8 billion and imports of R161.3 billion, inclusive of trade with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN). See the full Media Release here. Visit the Trade Statistics webpage.
  • 30 September 2026 – Tax Administration Act, 2011

Whether:

  1. The Commissioner/SARS official was justified in applying section 99(2)(a)(ii) of the Tax Administration Act (TAA) to raise additional assessments for VAT based on a non-existent analysis of bank statements.
  2. The Commissioner/SARS official was justified in applying section 99(2)(a)(ii) of the TAA to raise additional assessments for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 years of assessment.
  • 30 September 2026 – Tax Administration Act, 2011

Whether the court should grant the leave to appeal

NATIONAL TREASURY (NT)

ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)

DivisionTax
Categories
Tax
Date1 October 2026