In most transfers of properties, Transfer Duty is payable. In order to obtain the Transfer Duty receipt, certain documents are lodged at the applicable SA Revenue Services offices. We usually send our documents plus the cheque in favour of SARS, to our Pietermaritzburg agents, who then lodge these documents at the Pietermaritzburg SARS offices.

Last week we were told that SARS is no longer accepting physical i.e. paper, submission of documents and that all transfer duty receipts had to be applied for using the SARS e-Filing system. We then also found out that the e-Filing was not working so well (meaning: delays) and this was confirmed in a circular by John Christie, conveyancer of Pietermaritzburg.

Time to hit the panic buttons, we thought.

Then we received some reprieve in the form of an e mail from SARS, Pietermaritzburg telling us that an extension has been granted to 31st March 2011.

Now, I have no difficulty in going the e-Filing route, provided it works. And, it sure would have been nice if SARS could have given us some advance warning as to the cut-off date of physical paper submissions.

Regards
Sieg

[I am now blogging this diary: see http://aconveyancersdiary.blogspot.com/ ]