MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / SARS’s Record-Breaking Tax Collection

SARS’s Record-Breaking Tax Collection

A look at how tax collection has improved since 1994

In 1994, when South Africa became a democracy, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) collected R113.8-billion in taxes. When adjusted for inflation, this would have been equivalent to about R624.3-billion in 2025.

31 years later, in the 2025/26 financial year, SARS broke records by bringing in R2-trillion in tax revenue.

Collection over the last three decades has been far from smooth. Large increases were seen in the early 2000s as a commodity boom (minerals, metals) boosted corporate income tax, but then during the global financial crisis between 2007 and 2009 the economy contracted and revenue collection dropped.

Revenue only reached pre-crisis levels in 2011/12. Tax income started to grow again in the years that followed, but slow economic growth hampered tax collection. Then, in 2020, the covid pandemic hit the economy, and tax revenue dropped again.

There has been significant recovery since covid as the economy has started to grow again and SARS, under the leadership of outgoing commissioner Edward Kieswetter, has rebuilt its capacity after a period of state capture.

Chart produced by The Outlier in partnership with GroundUp

© 2026 GroundUp. This article is published under the GroundUp Republication Licence Version 1.0. Email [email protected] to request permission to republish.

The #EndSARS movement in Nigeria has inspired similar activism against police brutality in South Africa.

Read More at the Source

Category: Tag: , , , , , ,

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Re: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims Prize in Gqeberha

    Dear Editor This is indeed an exciting story for the community. Congratulations to the winner and may this bring positive change to Nomathamsanqa. As someone from KwaMashu, I understand the impact such winnings can have on township communities. Wishing the grandfather all the best. Regards Themba Zulu In Response to/From: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims…

  • Re: Minister Tolashe and Postbank Black Cards

    Dear Editor I appreciate the Minister’s assurance regarding the smooth transition to Postbank Black Cards for grant beneficiaries. As a concerned citizen, I hope the government will ensure that all beneficiaries, especially elderly and vulnerable populations in areas like Soweto, receive adequate assistance during this transition period. The expansion of card replacement locations to include…

  • Lotto Winner Story

    Dear Editor This is indeed an exciting story for the community. Congratulations to the winner and may this bring positive change to Nomathamsanqa. Regards Willem Pieterse In Response to/From: R8.5 Million Lotto Winner Claims Prize in Gqeberha

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kiff / Kief – cool [kif]/[k-eef] Derived from the Arabic kayf, meaning enjoyment or well-being, kiff or kief is most often used to convey similar feelings of nice, cool, great.Example: “This chow is kiff my bru!”