FINANCE minister Pravin Gordhan officially launched the Tax Ombud Office in Pretoria on Monday, 7 April.
The minister appointed retired Gauteng Judge President Bernard Ngoepe as the tax ombud in terms of the Tax Administration Act of 2011.
The tax ombud’s office will deal with legitimate complaints of taxpayers, which are unable to be resolved through the South African Revenue Service (SARS) internal mechanisms.
Gordhan said the ombud is intended to be a simple remedy for taxpayers who have legitimate complaints that relate to administrative matters, poor service or the failure by SARS to observe taxpayers’ rights.
According to Judge Ngoepe, the office will be operating independently of SARS and will also treat with strict confidence the communication between it and the taxpayer.
“Given all these as well as other considerations, the office of the tax ombud expects to contribute towards boosting the taxpayers’ confidence in tax administration, resulting, hopefully in even better tax compliance,” he said.
Contact the tax ombud’s office via email office@taxombud.gov.za, 012-431-9105 or 012-452-5013 (fax).
