What Auto-Assessed Taxpayers Must Know as the November Deadline Looms
For taxpayers who have been auto-assessed by SARS, the 23 November deadline to accept or edit the return/auto-assessment result is less than three short weeks away. Failing to accept or edit the return by the deadline; or simply accepting the result of an auto-assessment on the assumption that SARS must be correct; or submitting an incomplete or incorrect tax return can result in paying too much tax, becoming liable for penalties and interest, and even facing criminal prosecution (a risk more likely than ever before with as many as 1 in 10 auto assessment returns being audited after submission). A year after SARS first introduced auto assessments for the majority of taxpayers, this article considers what has changed and what is still important to know, and also provides 7 reasons why you should contact your accountant if you have been auto assessed.
