e-Conveyancing

Important changes

From feedback received, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) has decided to make the following enhancements to the Transfer Duty process:

  1.  All transactions will now be processed via an automated SARS risk engine and only cases selected by the risk engine will be sent for manual review.
  2.  In order to reduce errors made on the forms which have caused downstream problems, additional validations have been introduced into the form.
  3. Supporting documents will no longer be mandatory on the submission of a transfer duty declaration. Conveyancers will only need to submit supporting documents when requested to do so by SARS through the Transfer Duty system.
  4. In order to reduce the number to manual refund requests, payment will only be required once the declaration has been approved or accepted by SARS.
  5. A Conveyancer will only be able to print the receipt once SARS has confirmed that payment has been received in full in its bank account.

We believe these changes should make a big difference to the service experience. One of the biggest benefits should be a significant reduction in the turnaround time taken for most transactions.

Additional validations
SARS has introduced enhanced validation measures into the form to ensure that the data provided by the Conveyancer is complete and conforms to the prescribed format. The Conveyancer will also be able to rectify the form should it not be completed accurately.

Supporting documents
Supporting documents will no longer be mandatory on the submission of the declaration. If supporting documents are required, SARS will request the documents for the Conveyancer through e-filing.

Payments
The Conveyancer will only be able to make payment once the declaration has been accepted or approved by SARS. This will ensure a much streamlined process where the Conveyancer makes correction to the data provided, if required, and then makes payment of the correct amount.

Receipts
Once SARS has confirmed receipt of payment in full in their bank account, the Conveyancer will be able to print the receipt on e-filing.

Where no payment is required, the receipt/ exemption certificate will be made available for printing on e-filing once SARS has accepted the declaration.

Reader Comments:

Beryl Alexander 21/07/2011:

Still does not make contacting SARS any easier.  I feel we need to have the same person dealing with an issued "case number". At the moment each time you send an email, you get another case number, but nobody actually can answer your questions.  I keep getting told to do a TD 4 for a Sectional title time share,when the correct docs are a TD1 and TD2.  The length of time it takes for SARS to issue a receipt/exemption is ridiculous.

Stephen Hefferman 22/07/2011:

I truly hope that the improved procedure implicated by SARS will bring to an end the severe frustration experienced by us conveyancers. I have been waiting for 8 weeks to have a transfer duty receipt issued, as according to the numerous personel we have been dealing with our case has simply disappeared from our dashboard. The system was introduced prematurely without proper training to the personel of SARS.

Charles Pearson 22/07/2011:

SARS needs to realize that we need to be able to contact the person examining the transfer duty application. It would alleviate a lot of frustration, if we were allowed to explain a transaction to the examiner.

Ingrid Troskie 22/07/2011:

I am having the same problem as Beryl Alexander. I only do sectional title timeshare transfers. Our applications are being declined as SARS request a completed TD4. This is INCORRECT as we are doing SECTIONAL TITLE TRANSFER AND NOT SHAREBLOCK. Please can somebody at SARS sort out this problem as it is becoming a nightmare and we are having to apply again and again. The staff at SARS need to be trained with regard to sectional title timeshare transfers. PLEASE !!! PLEASE !!!

Cheryl M. 25/07/2011:

How does SARS decide to "decline" a transaction if payment has been made and the correct documentation was submitted? How do I now use the same Reference Number in which payment was effected, or do we have to go the lengthy route of obtaining a refund, and by which time further penalties will be payable?

Marje Wilson 28/07/2011:

We would like to see an "audit trail" built into the SARS program so that we can track the status of our applications as it is impossible to speak to anyone of assistance at SARS

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