Main Purpose of the Job:
The Tax Technical Specialist: Operations and Tax Administration position’s main function is to be the spokesperson between members and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to ensure seamless communication by engaging and monitoring all tax administration operational issues.
This position is responsible for overseeing the coordination and response to tax-related queries, as well as ensuring the timely review and escalation of unresolved issues, as well as for engaging with SARS on behalf of members in all stakeholder forums and to host periodic webinars on similar matters.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Thought Leadership
- Responding to operational calls for comment published by SARS.
- Developed thought leadership material in the form of member and public tax advisories.
- Represent the organisation and stakeholder’s interests at key industry meetings (SARS, OTO and, RCB forum)
- Product media commentary and advisory on SARS operational matters, upon request.
Technical Products
- Curate and present the SARS Operational webinar (Tax Practice: On the Move).
- Led the planning and execution of tax publications (Tax Practice: Weekly Highlights).
- Draft and send out public tax alerts when urgent operational matters arise.
Tax Technical Services
- Manage the technical tax queries service
- Ensuring members receive accurate and well-researched guidance.
- Overseeing the escalation service, facilitating resolutions through appropriate channels.
Thought Leadership Enhancement / Special Projects
- Ensure the successful implementation of special projects, as and when the need arises.
- Monitor the effectiveness of SARS relationships by tracking meeting outcomes.
- Perform root cause analysis for escalations and provide resolutions.
Quality Control over Communications
- Draft and continuously update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Tax Technical department.
- Maintain quality control over professional communications, ensuring compliance with standard operating standards.
- Ensure a high level of engagement satisfaction within the Tax Technical Team.
- Conducted reviews of correspondence to uphold accuracy and professionalism (conduct bi-monthly sample testing of communication and responses.)
Reporting and Analysis
- Prepare monthly reports and analysis thereof to the Executive on a monthly basis or as when requested.
- Management of technical consultants
- Develop and manage the annual tax technical (operations) budget and monitor of the monthly invoicing.
People Management
- Management of HR administration for the Tax Technical staff including, leave and performance reviews.
Required Qualification:
- Com Accounting or similar degree Required Computer Skills:
- Minimum 5x years tax/accounting experience of which at least 3x years within tax.
- A person with dual private sector tax and SARs experience will be preferential
- Advanced Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat and other.
- Corporate tax compliance experience, especially in terms of taxpayer-SARS communications with specific reference to the submission and list-submission process.
- Willingness to travel
Desired Skills:
- Tax consulting
- Tax
- tax specialist
- SARS