Sars to temporarily close branches amid rising Covid infections
The South African Revenue Service (Sars) will temporarily close all its branches across the country from the start of July.
This comes amid surging Covid-19 cases, with the country reporting close to 20,000 daily cases for the past several days.
The tax authority says the closure of tax branches is a precautionary approach in the midst of the third wave.
Branches will remind closed until mid-August.
“We are able to do so because the SARS digital platforms, as demonstrated during the peak of the second wave, allows taxpayers to continue to fulfil their obligations online,” Sars said in a statement.
“In terms of the Disaster Management Act, the South African Revenue Service remains an essential service. We have always stressed the importance of balancing the continuity of this service with the risk of transmission.”
Sars added the temporary closure of the tax branches will not affect the start of the e-Filing season.
“During the branch closures, taxpayers who require assistance to file online will be assisted telephonically with the support of dedicated SARS staff.”
All customs ports of entry will be open for frontline customs operations, but not for face-to-face client engagement other than for clearance and inspection purposes.
