The importance of knowledge sharing in increasing revenue collection in SARS

• Main Author: Sekane, Teboho Henry
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Tax collection - South Africa; Knowledge management; South African Revenue Service; Expertise
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12456

M.Com. (Business Management) === The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is an organ of the state, which has a mandate of collecting revenue for the government. The organisation is faced with numerous challenges in its task of collecting revenue. The challenges include the current recession that the world economy is going through and the deliberate tax evasion by businesses and individuals. To execute its mandate effectively, the organisation has to look continuously at how it uses its internal resources and how it can effectively lower the costs of collecting revenue. This research study looks at the importance of knowledge sharing in support of revenue collection at SARS. SARS recently launched a compliance model, indicating a problem of non-compliance, which contributes to the high debt figures for the organisation, compared with some revenue authorities in Europe, North America, Australia and Africa. The focus of this research study was the two Johannesburg offices of the debt management department of SARS, Alberton and Sunninghill (Megawatt Park). A qualitative research design was chosen for this study to obtain an in-depth feel of the knowledge sharing in the organisation. Interviews were conducted with 19 respondents from the two offices and the findings are presented in table format, with a detailed illustration of the responses and quotes from the respondents. The research objectives were met and the research hypothesis was accepted. The study concludes with six recommendations and a suggestion for future research. The limitations of the study were that it was limited to the Johannesburg area and confined to the debt management department at SARS.