Unresolved ITA88 Deductions by SARS: Urgent Help Needed

I’ve been dealing with a frustrating issue with SARS for several years, and I’m hoping Hello Peter can help bring attention to it.

In October 2021, SARS started deducting R7,000 monthly from my salary under the ITA88 process. At that time, they informed me that I owed R1,361,964. Despite these consistent payments, I’ve recently been told that my debt has inexplicably increased to R1,500,000, and the monthly deduction has now increased to R30,913. Last month, I didn’t receive any salary at all due to these increased deductions.

The root of this problem lies in an incorrect source code used by the municipality when generating my IRP5 forms. The forms wrongly classified me as a salaried employee instead of a contracted consultant. Although the municipality corrected these forms, SARS continues to make and increase these deductions, worsening my financial situation.

Over the past few years, I’ve made countless attempts to resolve this issue directly with SARS. I’ve logged calls, visited their branches, and spoken to several representatives, but I haven’t received any meaningful assistance. To make matters worse, I’ve been unable to submit my tax returns since 2019 because the IRP5 still incorrectly reflects that I’m a salaried employee, so much that in the last month I received zero income.

This situation is unbearable, and I’m at a loss for what to do next. I’m turning to Hello Peter because I know this platform can help raise awareness and hold service providers accountable. I urgently need SARS to take action and resolve these discrepancies before my financial situation deteriorates further.

If anyone else has experienced something similar or has advice on how to get through to SARS, please share your insights. Thank you, Hello Peter, for providing a platform where we can seek help with such critical issues.