Fin24 reports that the SA Revenue Service (SARS) has asked taxpayers not to come into its offices amid a national strike.

The Public Servants Association (PSA) and the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu) started to strike on Wednesday morning, in a dispute over pay hikes. SARS said in a statement that the first day of the strike proceeded "orderly, without incident". Due to its wide range of online services, disruption to the operations was apparently minimal, but “taxpayers are encouraged to avoid coming to a SARS office." Customs operations at ports of entry, especially borders, were reportedly operational and without major interruptions. SARS Customs said that it would rely on the support of the police and other government agencies at border posts to ensure that there were continued operations. The unions are demanding a CPI plus 7% increase, but SARS says that this is unaffordable. According to SARS, the R3 billion boost to the tax authority contained in Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's recent budget did not account for wage increases.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Fin24
• Read too, 'Full-blown' national strike begins at SARS, at Fin24

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