SARS aims for R50 billion as it hires 1700 debt collectors

THE South African Revenue Service (SARS) is set to bolster its debt collection capabilities significantly, announcing plans to hire 1700 debt collectors in the 2025/26 financial year.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

This strategy is part of a concerted effort to improve revenue collection and recover debts in light of ongoing fiscal challenges.

Commissioner Edward Kieswetter announced this while addressing the joint committees of finance and appropriations on Friday. “We have already employed 500, used the month of April and early May to train them, to induct them, to get them going, and they will now start collecting debt. In addition to that, next week, June 1, we will bring in a further 250 and continue to ramp that up,” he said.

Kieswetter also said their commitment was that they expected to yield at least R20 billion from that Debt Recovery Project. “But our aspiration is to go much closer to R50bn as far as that is concerned. So you should see next year a significant step up ahead of inflation, just on the debt recovery.”