The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has moved to calm fears of job cuts as it accelerates the implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) within the organisation.
Presenting SARS’ annual performance reports to the Standing Committee on Finance in Parliament, Commissioner Edward Kieswetter said that technology adoption will not come at the cost of livelihoods.
“I can give the committee assurance — six years ago, I met with trade unions, the PSA and NEHAWU, and we had a very honest conversation. I made a commitment to them that I will not retrench a single employee due to the deployment of technology and AI,” Kieswetter stated.
He emphasised that the commitment is based on collaboration from labour partners to ensure that workers are trained and reskilled to take up new responsibilities within a technology-enhanced operational structure.
Kieswetter said the next phase of SARS’ modernisation strategy centres on increasing employee fluency in AI tools and workflows, ensuring that staff are part of a more intelligent and efficient tax administration system.
Beyond productivity, he stressed the importance of safeguarding taxpayer information and national financial security as AI integration deepens.
“To ensure the responsible employment of AI, we must accept that it is implicit in our work to enhance efficiency, detect fraud, and improve services. However, we must also build security systems to safeguard information and ensure transparency and confidentiality among others,” he said.
SARS has launched educational programmes and is benchmarking against institutions already using AI to ensure best practices are adopted locally.
The revenue service has in recent years intensified the use of analytics, automation and machine learning to combat illicit financial activity, broaden the tax base and enhance service delivery — moves aligned with its Vision 2024 transformation programme.
With cyber security and skills development positioned as top priorities, SARS says its workforce will remain a critical component in the future of South African tax compliance.
