SARS today unveiled its latest instalment of the free e@syFile suite of software aimed at assisting tax practitioners complete and submit income tax returns on behalf of their clients.
e@syFile for Tax Practitioners was unveiled at the annual national convention of the South African Institute of Professional Accountants (SAIPA) by Mr Barry Hore, SARS Chief Officer for Modernisation and Technology.
Today’s launch follows the highly successful release of e@syFile PAYE in July which assisted payroll administrators and practitioners to complete and submit employer’s PAYE reconciliations electronically to SARS during the recent Tax Season for Employers. Over 85% of EMP501 submissions were done using the free software.
Mr Hore said the software addressed a number of issues raised by practitioners in relation to eFiling – including reducing the need for and cost of high-speed internet access.
e@syFile for tax practitioners allows practitioners to access, complete and submit ITR12, IT12EI, IT12TR and IT14 returns on behalf of their clients electronically with only minimal internet connectivity. The software downloads practitioners’ client information from eFiling onto their desktop so that they can work offline and then only access eFiling briefly to submit returns. Because the software only exchanges data with the eFiling system (rather than forms or documents), it is also much faster.
Another advantage of the software is that it allows practitioners to register clients and submit returns in bulk.
Practitioners can download MAC and PC versions of the software on http://www.sarsefiling.co.za/ or order it on CD from the SARS Practitioners Unit (practitionersunit@sars.gov.za). The CD features a special training video on how to use the software.
SARS is hosting a number of workshops around the country over the next few weeks to introduce practitioners to the software.
Future instalments of e@syFile include e@syFile PIT (aimed at assisting individual taxpayers complete and submit returns) and e@syFile CIT for companies.
The e@syFile suite of software uses the latest Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) technology and is among the first of its kind in the world.
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