The South African Revenue Service (SARS) Commissioner, Dr Johnstone Makhubu, has outlined the revenue service’s vision for the next era of tax administration, placing trust, institutional capability, modernisation, and stakeholder partnership at the centre of its strategy.
The forward-looking strategy aims to reshape the future of tax administration in the country.
This, as Makhubu addressed the Tax Indaba 2026, setting out a vision for a trusted, capable and modern revenue service which puts stakeholder partnerships at its centre.
“Revenue 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.
“A revenue administration must be judged not only by what it collects, but by how it treats taxpayers, how it conducts itself, and whether it earns the confidence of the people it serves,” Makhubu said at the gathering held in Johannesburg on Monday.
Modernisation
A key facet in the strategy is the continued modernisation of the revenue service dubbed SARS Modernisation 3.0.
The modernisation project seeks to build an “intelligent tax and customs administration platform powered by data, automation, and artificial intelligence, while upholding strong governance and public accountability”.
He emphasised that although a boost for the revenue service, technological advancements will not be a replacement for people.
“The future of tax administration is not people versus technology, but it is people and technology working together to make compliance easier, services faster, and enforcement more precise. Technology must strengthen human capability, not replace it.
“Our goal is simple: compliance should become the natural outcome of participating in the economy. The easier we make it for honest taxpayers to meet their obligations, the more effectively we can focus on those who deliberately choose not to comply. We want compliance just to happen.
“Revenue 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,” Makhubu said. –SAnews.gov.za
Source: Original report at SAnews.gov.za.
