While SARS has reported an increase in registered taxpayers over the last few years, the number of taxpayers actually assessed (or taxed) showed a sharp decline, she said.<\/p>\n
“In the 2013\/14 tax year, a total of 5,991,934 individuals were assessed. This figure dropped to 4,898,565 individuals<\/a><\/strong> assessed in 2016\/2017. The tax base therefore shrunk by about 18.2% from 2014 to 2017.<\/p>\n “By contrast, the personal income tax burden shouldered by these individual taxpayers has increased,” said Steenkamp.<\/p>\n “This can be expressed as the average personal income tax paid per assessed taxpayer. In the 2013\/14 tax year, the tax burden amounted to R45,702.<\/p>\n “This burden expanded to R65,601 in 2016\/2017, representing a whopping 43.5% increase from 2014 to 2017.”<\/p>\n Steenkamp said this has led to fewer taxpayers have to carry an increasing burden of tax collections.<\/p>\n “Given the country\u2019s poor economic outlook, credit rating downgrades, high unemployment figures and the myriad of social grants paid to millions of dependent individuals, it is clear that the tax base is already severely strained.”<\/p>\n Tax revolt\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n According to new SARS commissioner Edward Kieswetter, South African taxpayers may start withholding<\/a> <\/strong>their tax payments due to years of corruption.<\/p>\n Kieswetter that this withholding of funds may ultimately lead to an international bailout from an organisation like the IMF.<\/p>\n He said that falling trust in the collector by individuals and companies had led to rising levels of tax avoidance and fraud, bleeding billions from government.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen public trust wanes, as is the current case, then taxpayers feel morally justified to withhold or manipulate their taxes,\u201d Kieswetter said.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen revenue collection is undermined it traps us in a vicious cycle of revenue decline, as we\u2019ve experienced, and consequently the need to go with begging bowls to borrow money, which effectively mortgages our future.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/Tax-base.png\")
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