Specialist: Interpretative Tax Policy at The South African Revenue Service (SARS)

About the Position 

• In an ever-changing environment, we have built a responsive and agile organisation to give effect to our strategic intent of achieving voluntary compliance. We invite you to be part of the special team that contributes to the collection of revenue, protect the economy and people of South Africa. We believe that your skills, commitment  and dedication will add value and make a difference to the organisation and country.  Integrity is key to the organisation.
• The segment is looking for a candidate who has the skill in Interpretative Tax Policy

Job Purpose

• To perform specialised projects identified within the division based on the specific skills of the individual, undertake reviews of interpretative documents produced by the division. 

Education and Experience

Minimum Qualification & Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree (LLB/BCom) or advanced diploma in Taxation with 5 years Tax experience and 8-10 years' experience in Tax , of which 3-4 years ideally at operational specialist level.
• Senior Certificate (NQF 4) AND 15 years and Interpretative Tax Policy experience

Job Outputs:

Process

• Develop single practice area in alignment with operational activity and procedural frameworks and ensure tactical implementation.
• Draw on own technical or profession expertise, knowledge & experience to identify & recommend tactical solutions to defined problems in practices.
• Integrate business information, compare, analyse & produce reports to identify trends, discrepancies and inconsistences   for decision making purposes.
• Optimise gaol achievement through tactical strategy implementation and optimisation of practises, processes and systems across an internal value chain.
• Plan for value -added, continuous practice and system improvements to deliver on objectives to enhance tactical implementation and excellence
• Proactively identify interconnected problems, determine its impact, and use to develop best alternatives, best practice implementation solutions.
• Translate to down policy in relation to own practice area and communicate impact to relevant stake holders.
• Recommend changes to optimise processes, systems, practice area and associated procedures and execute the implementation of change and innovation.
• Analyse and make recommendations about improvements to specialist systems, procedures and associated area’s practice.
• Contribute to the optimum utilisation of org resources, advising on effective planning and development of area of specialisation resource plans.
• Correctly apply policies, standards, procedures and legislation in the delivery of work outputs
•  Be informed on related Acts, regulations and regulatory frameworks in area of accountability.
• Identify, diagnose and recommend improvements in area of accountability.
• Ensure that all written communication material meet high quality content and accuracy standards.
• Administer, interpret legislation, and provide specialist advice in area of speciality.
• Conduct and or participate in seminars and conferences on tax issues nationally and internationally and promote the interests of SARS generally.
• Consider requests for rulings and where suitable, analyse and research standard and highly complex transactions and decide on such rulings
• Contribute to the continuous review of legislation by providing input into changes in law or application thereof that require consideration
• Interpret legislation in order to provide    specialist advice in area of speciality and provide legal interpretation reports with recommendations /determination.
• Formulate and review new and current policies and practices to ensure alignment with legislative provisions.
• Play an active and supportive role in the review and product development of SARS.       

Governance

• Develop and/or align governance and compliance policies for own practice area to identify and manage risk exposure.

People

• Integrate new knowledge and transfer skills attained through formal and informal learning opportunities in the execution of your job.
• Provide specialist know how, support advice and practice thought leadership in area of expertise.

Finance

• Implement and monitor financial control, management of costs and corporate governance in area of specialisation.

Client

• Develop & ensure implementation of a practice that builds service delivery excellence & encourage others to provide exceptional stakeholder service.
• Provide authoritative, specialist services, expertise, and advice to internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide authoritative, specialist expertise and advice to internal and external stakeholders.
• Deliver on service level agreement made with internal and external stakeholders, monitor feedback and adjust as required

Behavioural competencies

• Teamwork
• Accurate Understanding
• Fairness and Transparency
• Analytical Thinking
• Accountability
• Conceptual Ability
• Commitment to continuous learning.
• Attention to Detail
• Organisational Awareness
• Trust
• Respect and integrity

Technical competencies

• Business Knowledge
• Data Collection and Analysis
• Decision making Problem Solving
• Functional Policies  and Procedures
• Coaching and mentoring
• Problem Analysis and judgement
• Written Communication.
• Legal Advisory and Interpretation.
• Legal Compliance
• Tax Knowledge