{"id":875539,"date":"2026-09-15T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=875539"},"modified":"2026-09-15T13:33:45","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T11:33:45","slug":"sars-commissioner-johnstone-makhubu-has-good-news-for-taxpayers-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/875539\/sars-commissioner-johnstone-makhubu-has-good-news-for-taxpayers-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"SARS commissioner Johnstone Makhubu has good news for taxpayers in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SARS Commissioner Johnstone Makhubu has struck a softer tone with taxpayers in South Africa, talking up the tax service’s goals of building relationships rather than simply chasing numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the 13th Annual Tax Indaba, Makhubu outlined SARS’ vision for the “next era” of tax administration in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makhubu took over from former Commissioner Edward Kieswetter on 1 May 2026, having previously served as Deputy Commissioner for Taxpayer Engagement and Operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under Kieswetter, SARS was rebuilt into a revenue-collecting powerhouse, culminating in a record tax collection of R2 trillion in the past financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former commissioner had a stated goal of driving tax compliance in the country by making it easier to pay taxes and coming down hard on those who attempted to circumvent their obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This resulted in the development of world-class systems, the rise of automated assessments, and the closing of various tax loopholes in legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also resulted in SARS gaining a reputation for being extremely aggressive and unforgiving towards taxpayers, with many tax practitioners warning that the taxman was tightening the noose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking at the Indaba, Makhubu said the new era of tax administration would focus more on building stronger relationships with taxpayers and tax practitioners.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makhubu stated that while revenue collection is SARS\u2019s mandate, “long-term success relies on cultivating a trusted, capable, and sustainable institution”.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that SARS\u2019s success cannot be measured by revenue performance alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRevenue sustainability is not only about what is collected, but also how it is collected. It is anchored in the trust, capability, and service that make sustainable revenue possible,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA revenue administration must be judged not only by what it collects, but by how it treats taxpayers<\/strong>, how it conducts itself, and whether it earns the confidence of the people it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commissioner said that the next phase of SARS must be reflected in the experiences of both taxpayers and traders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This will be through improved service, clearer processes, faster resolution of legitimate issues, and closer engagement with stakeholders.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makhubu said that SARS will continue to simplify compliance, effectively resolve non-compliance, and address the evolving needs of taxpayers and traders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he wants the relationship between SARS and stakeholders, tax practitioners in particular, to “evolve beyond transactions and disputes”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe share a common responsibility to protect the integrity of the tax system, improve the taxpayer experience, and strengthen confidence in the rule of law,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Modernisation will continue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As part of the next phase of SARS under Makhubu, the commissioner said the service will focus on four key priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Capable and ethical employees, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Accelerated modernisation, <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sustainable funding, and <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Stronger relationships throughout the tax ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    SARS Modernisation 3.0 will focus on creating an intelligent tax and customs administration platform that leverages data, automation, and artificial intelligence, while maintaining strong governance and accountability.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Key initiatives include modernising VAT, customs, and excise processes, improving case management, and enhancing digital identity and AI use to improve service delivery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Makhubu said that while technology is important for adapting to changes, it should complement, not replace, human roles in enhancing outcomes for taxpayers, traders, and SARS employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While SARS continues to target the illicit economy, Makhubu highlighted that compliance should be viewed as a natural outcome of ease, transparency, and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cRevenue is our mandate, but trust is our license to operate. Together, we can build a tax administration that serves the country not only today, but for generations to come.\u201d
    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    SARS wants to move beyond chasing numbers and build better relationships with taxpayers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":855895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2099830854113444309","_sma_facebook_post_id":"191437357620492_2206219826865083","_sma_instagram_post_id":"17925749004409853","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[25144,3246,20888],"class_list":["post-875539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","tag-johnstone-makhubu","tag-sars","tag-taxpayers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=875539"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":875567,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/875539\/revisions\/875567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/855895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=875539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=875539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=875539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}