Flash trader registration

Find out instantly whether the car you are interested in has a background you're happy with.

No deposit forex bonuses

Find out if a vehicle is written off, stolen or has outstanding finance, flash trader registration.

I can’t thank vehicle check enough as, by choosing their report over others, I escaped inheriting a significant amount of debt.

Find out if a vehicle is written off, stolen or has outstanding finance

Know the history of the car before you buy it

Has it been written off?

Is the car stolen?

Is there outstanding finance?

Why get a vehicle check?

1 in 12 were recorded as an insurance write off*

1 in 7 has outstanding finance recorded*

104,519 vehicles were reported as stolen in 2017**

With our vehicle check you get

Peace of mind

We will check all of the information listed plus confirm key vehicle spec and data.

Vehicle check promise

If the vehicle you check is revealed to have been written off (category A and B only), scrapped or currently listed as stolen, we'll give you another vehicle check for FREE. Learn more

£30,000 data guarantee

All our checks include up to £30,000 of data guarantee in case of any inaccuracies. More details

A vehicle check tells you about

Key information

Reported stolen

Outstanding finance

Written off

Scrapped

Plate changes

Number of previous owners

Recorded mileage

Colour changes

Imported

Exported

Risk of third-party trace

Specification

Make

Model

Colour

Transmission

Number of gears

Fuel type

Body type

Engine capacity

Vehicle data

Engine number

Year of manufacture

Date first registered

If used before registered

Annual road tax rate

CO2 emissions

Environmental report

What it costs

1 vehicle check report

Find out instantly whether the car you are interested in has a background you're happy with.

5 vehicle check reports

Check a vehicle for only £4.99 by buying a multi check - allows you to check the background of up to 5 vehicles within a 60 day period

What our customers are saying

Saved me

I can’t thank vehicle check enough as, by choosing their report over others, I escaped inheriting a significant amount of debt.

Thank goodness for vehicle check!

Thank goodness for vehicle check! It saved me a 430 mile round trip and stopped me buying a clocked, written off car. What a fantastic service.

Completely satisfied

Completely satisfied with the service from A-Z. Telephone contact was very efficient & helpful.

Ready to get your vehicle check?

Already checked a vehicle? Retrieve check

Vehicle check is provided by experian ltd (registered number 653331)

Experian ltd is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority.

Experian ltd is registered in england and wales with registered office at the sir john peace building, experian way, NG2 business park, nottingham, NG80 1ZZ.

* checks carried out on vehicle check in 2017. ** vehicles registered as stolen on the police national computer in 2017.

Flash trading

What is flash trading?

Flash trading is a controversial practice where preferred clients, with access to sophisticated technology, can view orders before the entire market.

Key takeaways

Flash trading is a controversial practice where preferred clients, with access to sophisticated technology, can view orders before the entire market.

Proponents of flash trading say that it provides greater liquidity in secondary market exchanges, while opponents believe that it gives an unfair advantage and can lead to higher risk of flash crashes.

Due to a wave of criticism, especially after several market roiling events, flash trading has been voluntarily discontinued by most of the exchanges, though it is still offered by some stock exchanges.

Understanding flash trading

Flash trading uses highly sophisticated high-speed computer technology to allow market makers to view orders from other market participants, fractions of a second before the information is available to the rest of the traders in the marketplace. This gives flash traders the advantage of being able to recognize movements in market sentiment and gauge supply and demand before other traders.

Proponents of flash trading believe that it helps to provide greater liquidity in secondary market exchanges. Opponents of flash trading believe that it gives an unfair advantage and can lead to higher risk of flash crashes. Many critics also compare flash trading to front running, which is an illegal trading scheme that relies on non-public information.

Flash trading became a highly debated topic in 2009 before it was facilitated on most market exchanges. In 2009, the securities and exchange commission (SEC) proposed rules to eliminate flash trading, though these rules were never passed. Due to a wave of criticism, especially after several market roiling events, flash trading has been voluntarily discontinued by most of the exchanges, though it is still offered by some stock exchanges.

Flash trading processes

Flash trading on exchanges was offered to most market makers for a fee. Subscribed market makers were given access to trade orders a fraction of a second before these orders were released publicly. Sophisticated traders used flash trading subscriptions in a process known as high-frequency trading. This trading process incorporated advanced technologies to take advantage of the flash quotes and generate greater profits from the spreads.

Flash trading for high-frequency market makers was easily integrated into the standard market making exchange process. Through this process market makers match buy and sell orders by buying at the lowest price and selling at a higher price. This process forms the basis for bid/ask spreads, which generally fluctuate based on market supply and demand. With flash trading subscriptions, large market makers, such as goldman sachs and other institutional traders, were able increase the spread on each trade by one to two cents.

Is flash trading legal?

The concept of flash trading was highly debated in 2009, resulting in elimination of the offering. The securities and exchange commission issued a proposed rule, which would eliminate the legality of flash trading from regulation NMS. While the flash trading elimination rule was never fully passed, most market exchanges chose to relinquish the offering for market markers.

The release of the 2014 book flash boys: A wall street revolt by michael lewis detailed the processes of high-frequency trading and the use of flash trading by wall street traders. Lewis takes a deeper look at the availability of flash trading, its uses by high-frequency traders, and some of the practices that are now illegal, such as spoofing, layering, and quote stuffing.

Flash trader registration

How do I download and trade on the flash app?

Search for the flash app on the google play store

Click install

Top up your flash app balance by buying a flash voucher at one of our many retail partners

Once you have topped up, you can begin trading!

Does the flash app work without using data?

If you are using telkom mobile, cell C, or vodacom, using the flash app will not cost you any data, but your data needs to be turned on to use the app.

If you are with any other network, normal data costs apply for using the flash app.

My flash app password is blocked

When you enter your flash app password incorrectly 3 times, the app blocks you automatically.

You will need to call the flash call centre to unblock your flash app.

Call centre numbers

Free on MTN: 0839035274
free on cell C: 0841935274

Call centre hours

Mon: fri: 08h00 – 20h00
sat: 09h00 – 18h00
sun: 09h00 – 17h00
public holidays: 09h00 – 17h00

If my phone is stolen, is my flash account safe?

Yes, your flash app account is protected by your username and password.

Without that information, nobody can login to your flash app account.

I’m selling on the flash app, customers want proof of purchase

When you have completed a sale, select share.

You will be able to share the digital slip via SMS, whatsapp, facebook messenger, email, or in a social media direct message.

I forgot my flash app password

Select forgot password on the login screen of the flash app

Enter all the details needed (username, cell phone number, secret word, new password)

Select the reset button

How do I change my password on the flash app?

Follow these steps to change your password in your flash app:

Select the top left menu with the 3 lines

Select change password

Enter current password

Enter new password

Confirm new password

Select change password to complete the process

Quick links.

New to flash trading?

Take a look at our getting started guide with faqs and resources.

How to tame forex in a flash

“my forex flash trader service will ‘blow your mind’ with it's simplicity and profitability.

FFT has been proven to be hugely popular with traders of all abilities
from brand new novices through to the pro's alike.

Hi there,

Before we go any further here's something you should know.

"I've been successfully involved in trading (particularly forex and indices) since 2004. Over the years my experience has taught me that the forex market is like the ocean, unbelievably big, ever changing and if you don't pay it respect it can be your undoing. However, if you follow my lead, you can tame it and be on the road to high profit success in a flash".

Now, you may not have heard about forex flash trader before because its still pretty new. One thing is for sure, and that is, the service is the new ’buzz word’ in trading circles. There is good reason for the ’buzz’ and its all about:-

Simplicity profitability
& fun!

Simplicity

Forex flash trader is one of the simplest ways to trade and very appealing for those who have little or no trading experience. The action of placing your trades is very simple indeed. We back everthing up with an easy to follow guide, training tutorials and support if you need it. The fact is, if it were legal for children to trade, a 10 year old could do it. However, just in case you need it we offer free unlimited support.

Profitability

I know it sounds silly, but I assume at least part of the reason you’re reading this is because you want to be a succesful, profitable trader. Right?? Good, because we’re here to share our success, expertise and profitability. We even send you our trades. So, you can compare while you learn or simply copy what we do until you feel confident enough to go solo (however long that may take).

YES, we’ll send you each and every trading opportunity we find, so you can be as succesful as we are. How great is that.

Well, life wouldn’t be very fulfilling without fun now would it?

Lets face it pretty much everything is more fun if you're good at it. And you're going to be good at this because you'll get our high profit trade signals every day. Oh, and we really encourage you to enjoy the whole FFT experience and have fun learning and trading. Once you get the hang of it, the sky’s the limit.

However you can be assured we'll support you for as long as you need. And don't forget we'll continue to offer training on the strategies and continue sending you our trade signals until you say stop.

OK, OK I know some of you may not find the learning part too much fun. However, those that have give us great feedback. So, we'll continue to offer it anyway.

What is forex flash trader anyway?

The forex flash trader service works on simple principles. There are literally hundreds of ways to trade forex but we work with simple yet effective strategies that create a very high success rate on a consistent basis. My team of traders have done all the hard work for you. Using 'tried and tested' strategies that hunt down the trades which are then sent to you. I also remove the mystery of forex success by sharing and offering training on these strategies with you. All included in the cost.

Trades that fit around you

The forex flash trader service is designed to fit around you. Some people have a daily routine that makes it difficult to take time out to trade. Don't worry FFT (R) is for you. Some others may be ok to take up a trade no matter what time of the day. If that's you FFT classic is going to work wonders for you. If you're just not sure and you want more high profit trade signals along with a great price FFT elite will be for you.

Who can do this?

In short, pretty much anyone can do this. So, if you’ve tried and failed at any kind of trading before or you’re just looking for something new and different that really works - this is for you. And, you never need to feel you’re on your own as we are here to help and support you.

Most people will need little or no help at all. FFT is that simple. However, if you do need help we support you for as long as you need. You can even speak to us on the phone.

How soon can I start trading?

The simple answer is that you can start right now.
Our high profit trading signals are sent directly to you as soon as you sign up. Plus you'll get access to all the other member benefits to. Including training and and strategies.

Talking about learning, everyone is different, some learn quicker than others. We encourage you to take on the information at your pace. You are in total control of how fast or slow your learning curve is. What ever happens we will continue to offer our encouragement, training, high profit trade signals and support for as long as you remain a member of the service. Now, I know a good number of you will quickly grasp the FFT concept and test your new found skills by comparing your trades to ours. Either way is fine, I just want you to succeed.

Ultimately, you decide how you use forex flash trader

How much could I make?

The success rate of FFT is one of the most important factors to consider and I can tell you - it's very good indeed.

Here is how our trade signals have performed recently.
Even with losing trades we achieved an astounding 2,294 to 4,771 pips profit. In just two short months (see below).

Now consider that spread trading in the UK is TAX FREE..

Forex flash trader performance

Are there any losing trades?

Yes of course, losing trades are just another part of trading. In fact anyone that claims 100% success should make you want to run away in the opposite direction. There is no 100% success, you just need to take the losses in your stride and simply accept they are going to happen.

Anyway, the way forex flash trader works means your winning trades will massively out-weigh the losing trades. As I’m sure you can see from the examples on this page. You can make very good returns with a moderate success rate.

So, just imagine what YOU can achieve with forex flash trader.

How does it work?

It’s pretty straight forward really. You get access to the FFT members area. Where you'll find training videos, strategy guides and much more. Plus you'll benefit from my trading team scouring the markets for the best trading opportunities throughout the day. When a trade is found it is sent to the members (you).

The trades are fired out 'quick as a flash' by our system via email and text SMS.

I said it was simple didn’t I.

But hold on, we don’t just stop there. We send you a weekly round-up showing the ongoing performance. So, you can check your progress

The trading strategies are updated regularly and are stored in the members area. You can access them whenever you want. How cool is that.

What about support?

As I’ve already mentioned you probably won’t need any help, but just in case you do, we are here for you. Support is offered FREE via email and telephone.

We can’t say fairer than that now can we.

It’s also worth mentioning that we are well known and pride ourselves on our ’second to none’ support.

How much will it cost?

I like to be as generous as possible by keeping things affordable for all. And this offer is about as generous as it gets.

Before we get down to the price, lets get one thing straight. If you pay peanuts you get monkeys. You know, I love that saying as its often been proven to be true. Cheap services generally don’t work, they just want your money for a month or two before you catch on and cancel. And because you only paid a few pounds they know they won’t get much in the way of flack.

Back to the cost.

A good, profitable (not many of these around) forex service can cost £300+ per month. Don't panic. Keep reading.

However, as I've already said I want this to be affordable for everyone. So, I'm going to keep the price as low as I can for as long as I can. It is very likely that the prices will increase soon so don't wait get on board now.

BTW: I offer a 'locked in' price promise which means you won't ever see a price increase for as long as your membership remains paid up.

Don’t wait - get ’locked in’ now.

Forex flash trader 6 month risk free guarantee

We are absolutely sure you are going to enjoy forex flash trader and if you follow our trade signals, rules and strategies you will make profit trading forex. For this reason your purchase will be at our risk and not yours…

If after 6 months you can show us that our trade signals, strategies and trading methods do not work we will give you 100% of your money back without hesitation. All we ask is that you show us your trading account history and the exact trades you took so we can make sure you have been taking the same trades as us and you aren’t doing anything wrong… we can’t be any fairer than that.

All the risk is on us for 6 months. That’s 26 long weeks, more than enough time for you to see this is for real. This is a completely risk free purchase, go ahead and do it now… you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain !!

Get my ’locked in’ offer

I can only hold these prices this low for a short period of time. So, to avoid extra costs in the future, you need to take up my ’locked in’ offer.

'locked in’ means I promise you won't see an increase in your membership fees for as long as you maintain your paid up membership. When the price increases in the future you will continue with the price you pay today.

Plus I'm going to include the optional text SMS service in my 'locked in' offer with a value of £9.97 a month.

So, you see it makes sense to get ’locked in’ now.

Apply for authorised economic operator status

Find out what information you'll need for your application and apply for authorised economic operator status.

Authorised economic operator customs simplification and authorised economic operator security and safety status are for businesses that:

Are a legal entity

Are established in the UK

Are actively involved in customs operations and international trade

Have an economic operator registration and identification (EORI )

Authorised economic operator customs simplification status

Authorised economic operator security and safety status

Both

HMRC will carry out several checks on your business to see if you’re eligible to receive the status.

Before you apply

Read and understand the criteria and checks involved

Have an EORI number that starts with GB, if you are established in northern ireland you will also need an XI EORI number

Gather the information you’ll need to answer the questions on the online form

Have responsible customs managers and specific personnel available onsite for the audit visits

You must make sure you have documented evidence of your business procedures and processes available for our inspection before you apply.

Who should apply

A responsible person in the business for example, a partner or director should apply for the status.

If someone else applies, they must have permission from a responsible person.

What you will need to apply

How to apply

You should apply for authorised economic operator status using the online form.

If you’re a group of companies, you need to submit separate applications for each legal entity.

You do not have to complete the full application in one go. You can return to your application.

You have 28 days from the date you start your application to complete it. You can save your progress as you go, after you have completed your application you must submit it in full within 24 hours.

After we receive your application, we’ll carry out our checks and we’ll aim to visit you as soon as possible. Authorised economic operator status can take up to 120 days to approve.

Return to your application

When you return to your application you’ll need your:

After you’ve applied

We’ll send you an acknowledgement when we receive your application. After we’ve reviewed it, we’ll send you a notice of acceptance if it’s complete and satisfactory.

We’ll visit you to check your documentation and test your systems.

You must have the documented evidence available for our visits. We may advise you to withdraw your application, if you do not meet the criteria.

If you pass our checks, you’ll receive your authorisation within 120 days.

Once we approve your status, we’ll check to make sure you continue to meet the standards.

If anything changes within your business, you must tell us within 30 days of it happening. This could include:

Changes to your legal entity

Changes of business name or business address

Changes to the nature and structure of your business

Changes to any people responsible for customs matters mentioned in your application

Changes to your accounting or computer systems

Additions or deletions of locations or branches involved in the international supply chain

Additions or deletions to the categories you have approval for

More information

You can now apply for authorised economic status using the online service. Information about how to apply has been added.

A new version of the form C118 has been added.

Passion for trading TEX TYCHEXCHANGE

Our goal is to provide you the safest exchange with the ultimate trading platform. We are passionate about online trading and digital currencies. We challenge ourselves to constantly innovate and find ways to improve our clients digital assets investing experience in financial markets.

News flash 19/07/2020

1. All coins on exchange with addresses are available for deposit/trade/withdrawal.

2. All deposits requests will be processed instantly – and should reflect in your deposit history within minutes. Once they have had enough confirmations (varies per coin) they will be available in wallet.

3. Withdrawal requests are processed once a day M-F and are not processed on weekends/holidays.

4. A monthly maintenance will be done on the exchange on the 1st sunday of each month. The exchange will be down for the period of 4 hours at 15:30 CET.

5. We have completed beta 1 and moving to a stable beta phase where we have a stable and robust performance! Everyone should enter their KYC again, because of the latest major updates to the platform, these have been deleted for safety and GDPR legislation.

Thank you for your patience!

PRO TRADER MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION

Upon an exchange member’s written request, the exchange shall register traders who meet the requirements hereof on the exchange trader list and provide them with access to the trading platform days after the receipt of all documents necessary for registration.

TYCHEXCHANGE

Blockchainnext presents its unique, pioneering online trading platform for traditional and digital asset platform. We consistently make improvements and add new functionality, products and tools to the platform to enhance your trading experience and prepare for future regulations!

Tychexchange is in LIVE beta development phase now! Please realize our dev team is working to improve the logging, security, safety and compliance of our platform while we build new and exciting features and streamline the KYC (know your customer) and registration process. Your data’s safety is our first priority. Please be patient as we ramp up our capabilities; we are already listing our first altcoins and expect to grow quickly! If some transactions are slow to process, we ask your understanding and patience as our clearing and settlement protocols are geared toward manual approval and security of funds and we process every few hours for your safety and convenience. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out, and welcome to TEX!

We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic, personalize content, and serve targeted advertisements. Read about how we use cookies and how you can control them on our privacy policy,. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.

Registering as a sole trader is easy

✓ HMRC registration
✓ tax planning consultation
✓ sole trader guide
✓ mileage tracker app

Services > sole trader registration

Becoming a sole trader

Becoming a sole trader is the easiest way to work for yourself. We can help you register as self-employed and take care of your bookkeeping and accounting responsibilities too!

Why register through IN-SYNC?

We've helped more than 53,000 sole traders across the UK manage their finances

Self-employed accounting: we've got you covered

Once you're all set up as a sole trader, we can help you make sure you keep on top of your responsibilities as a business owner.

You'll need to file a self assessment tax return each year and you may want to think about voluntary VAT registration if you want to make sure you're taking home as much of your money as possible.

Everything you need, all bundled together.

We launched the supercharger bundle this year to help you manage your self-employed finances smarter than ever.

It's the only service you'll need to take care of your financial responsibilities and maximise your take-home pay, all on a simple monthly subscription.

Technology that makes your life easier

We’ve got a range of digital tools to help you manage your business smarter than ever:

Complete this form for a call back about registration

Sole trader registration

Faqs: sole trader registration

Once we've contacted HMRC on your behalf and registered you as a sole trader, you will receive your unique tax reference (UTR) number.

It usually takes about 6 weeks to receive your UTR number from HMRC.

So long as you register as self-employed within 3 months of trading, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from trading before you UTR number arrives!

You don't need to become VAT registered to take advantage of our sole trader starter pack, although it's likely that you'd benefit from doing so.

Our in-house experts will talk through you and your business first and give you advance as you need it.

There are no hidden fees involved with self-employed registration beyond the £49.99. There are additional accountancy services that we offer, which will help you manage your money more efficiently. These come at an additional cost and can be found by going to our services page.

Tax relief means that you pay less tax to account for money that you have spent on business expenses. Your income is reduced by the value of the expenses that you claim, therefore reducing the amount of tax you pay.

We complete HMRC checks to ensure that there is nothing on a client's HMRC account which could affect their refund.

Sole trader registration service

Do you want to register a company as a sole trader but you’re not sure what you need to do? Our sole trader registration packages give you everything you need, and we’ll take care of the whole process, including filling in your paperwork and submitting it to HMRC.

Please note that sole trader registration requires you have a national insurance (NI) number.

Do you want to reserve a limited company name for future use? Choose our sole trader plus package.

Sole trader package - £29 +VAT

Sole trader registration

Free consultation with an accountant

Free business start-up guide

Free marketing guide

Limited company name reservation

order now

Sole trader plus package - £49 +VAT

Sole trader registration

Free consultation with an accountant

Free business start-up guide

Free marketing guide

Limited company name reservation

order now

Sole trader package

Sole trader plus package

Sole trader package

Sole trader plus package

Frequently asked questions

What is a sole trader?

When you register as a sole trader, you run your own business as an individual and are self-employed. You can keep all your business’ profits after you’ve paid tax on them, but you’re also personally responsible for any losses your business makes. Sole trader registration means you must follow certain rules on running and naming your business.

What are your responsibilities as a sole trader?

As a sole trader, you’ll need to:

Keep records of your business’ sales and expenses

Send a self-assessment tax return every year

Pay income tax on your profits and class 2 and class 4 national insurance — use HMRC’s calculator to help you budget for this

Apply for a national insurance number if you’re moving to the UK to set up a business.

How should I name your sole trader business?

When you register as a sole trader, you can trade under your own name or you can choose another name for your business. You must include your name and business name (if you have one) on official paperwork, such as invoices and letters.

Sole trader names must not:

Include the words “limited”, “ltd”, “limited liability partnership”, “LLP”, “public limited company” or “plc”

Be offensive

Be the same as an existing trademark

Contain a “sensitive” word or expression or suggest a connection with government or local authorities unless you get permission

What is the difference between a sole trader and a limited company?

There are various differences between operating as a sole trader and running a limited company, and the one that will be best suited to you will depend on how you plan to run your business and how quickly you want to grow. Our blog post outlines the differences between a sole trader and limited company , along with the advantages and disadvantages of each.

As a sole trader, can I register for VAT?

Yes. After you register as a sole trader, you must register for VAT if your turnover exceeds £85,000 per year. You can register voluntarily if it suits your business; for example, if you sell to other VAT-registered businesses and want to reclaim VAT. We can help you register for VAT online for just £49 +VAT.

What do I receive from HMRC when I register as a sole trader?

When you buy our sole trader registration package, we will register you as self-employed with HMRC. The HMRC will then send you your unique tax reference (UTR).

How long does sole trader registration take?

Filling in our simple online application form takes just minutes, but it can take approximately four to six weeks for you to receive your UTR from HMRC.

Can I start trading before I receive my UTR?

Yes, you can, but you must complete your sole trader registration within three months of the date you started trading. This effectively allows you to start trading as soon as you submit your application, allowing you to hit the ground running while knowing that your company formation admin is all taken care of by us.

Are there any annual fees?

There is no annual fee for our sole trader registration package. For our sole trader plus package, there is an annual fee of £49 +VAT, which includes the preparation and filing of your confirmation statement and annual accounts. This will ensure your company name continues to be reserved.

Need a helping hand?

Speak to our friendly company registration and business expert. We will handle everything for you. Call now.

Company formation

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Help & advice

Mint formations limited, college house, 2nd floor, 17 king edwards road, london, HA4 7AE

Email: support@mintformations.Co.Uk , phone: +44 (0) 207 112 8684, 9am - 7pm GMT, monday to friday

Company reg. No. 10771070 vat registration nr: 269 1733 76

Flash trader registration

BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY MEDIA COMPANY

SARS claims ‘complex’ nature in adobe flash switch-up

The south african revenue service (SARS) says it is “certainly committed” to migrating the remainder of the efiling forms from adobe’s flash player to its chosen HTML5 technology in 2021.

This comes as frustrated taxpayers have taken to social media to air their efiling grievances, as the revenue service failed to completely migrate all forms from the now defunct flash player.

Computer software company adobe announced in july 2017 it will stop supporting flash player after 31 december 2020, recommending that “all users immediately uninstall flash player to help protect their systems”.

SARS augments IT systems in preparation for over 5m taxpayers

SARS dumbed-down to point of tears, says kieswetter

In a statement this week, adobe indicated it has blocked flash content from running in flash player beginning 12 january 2021, after discontinuing support of flash player beyond 31 december 2020.

Despite this, SARS says there are some efiling forms that remain on adobe flash post december 2020.

Complex migration

Explaining the cause of delay for the migration, SARS states part of its mandate is to administer many tax and compliance mechanisms, which spawn many submission requirements and interactions that necessitate the capturing and submitting of data through many different forms.

According to the revenue service, in addition to the high number of forms that required to be migrated from adobe flash to the chosen HTML5 platform, the migration itself is very complex and requires the development, testing and deployment of new forms, which contain many data fields underpinned by thousands of technical, administrative and complex business rules that ensure integrity of data, efficient processing and accurate assessment results.

“it is due to this complexity and the need to deliver properly tested and working forms that SARS prioritised the major tax types with the highest volumes, with the rest planned for 2021.”

As to when the migration began, SARS is unclear, only stating it anticipated “this scenario”, and communicated this to various stakeholders, including practitioners, at the end of last year.

“we are in a process of mitigating the risks and ensuring an easy and seamless service for taxpayers to interact with SARS, ie, SARS is busy replacing forms using adobe flash with the latest HTML5 technology and SARS has made significant strides.

“for example, in this replacement project, SARS has given priority to all major taxes with income tax for individuals, companies, trusts, PAYE and VAT already using forms built on HTML5.”

Tech capacity

The issue with the migration from adobe’s flash to HTML5 is not the first time that taxpayers have grown frustrated with the tax collector’s technology capacity.

SARS, however, says for more than two decades now, it has been strategically adopting advances in IT for the benefit of taxpayers and traders, to make it easier for them to comply with their tax and customs obligations and to improve its service levels to them.

“over the years, these advances that SARS adopted have resulted in the successful rolling out of efiling (recently to customs as well), e@syfile for employers and the SARS mobiapp for cellphones. All of this resulted in a massive reduction in paper usage, a key concern for the environment, as well as a massive saving in time and costs for the taxpayer and trader.

“of course, some of the technology we use is gradually being replaced as part of this ongoing effort to modernise our systems. This is the case with adobe.”

It adds: “SARS is aware of the ongoing issues experienced due to the discontinuation of the flash player component by adobe, as well as some recent internet browser updates. These have negatively affected a limited set of adobe forms that are currently available on efiling, although it should be noted that the forms required for the filing of income tax, VAT and PAYE are fully available on efiling.

“it is worth noting that from an individual income tax point of view, more than 2.5 million returns have been filed online using the HTML5 form during the online filing season, which ended on 16 november 2020 for non-provisional taxpayers.”

With regards to its letters, assessment notices and objection processing forms, SARS says these do not use adobe flash for rendering to the taxpayer, but adobe PDF files.

“it is SARS’ firm understanding that adobe will continue to support PDF and so will all browsers.

“provisional taxpayers, who are required to file returns, are assured that they can certainly use efiling and the SARS mobiapp, which uses HTML5, on or before the deadline – 29 january 2021.”

Phased-approach

SARS points out that phasing in of HTML5 forms has focused on the major tax types with high-volume online submissions.

It reveals the forms which remain on flash include the following: registration (excluding registration for individuals, which uses HTML), transfer duty, dividends tax and submission of financial third-party data.

The excise duties and levies forms are also on flash, but are scheduled for migration on 29 january, it says.

When asked about the risk factors of remaining on a software technology that’s reached its demise, SARS says “all technology solutions pose cyber security risks and adobe flash is no exception”.

What is key, says the taxman, is that all users of technology ensure they subscribe to and implement the latest security measures contained in the latest security patches dependent on the software and hardware being used.

“from a SARS system perspective, every endeavour is made to ensure the highest levels of security which mitigate known risks. All users of technology, which includes taxpayers and traders, are urged to ensure that their devices have security software and that these are at the latest levels with or without adobe flash.”

In the interim, SARS urges taxpayers to follow the guidelines as provided and use the microsoft edge browser to complete and submit these forms online.

“while our technical teams attend to these issues, users need to follow the browser compatibility guidelines provided here.”

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