Taxation of foreign employment income
South Africa has a residence-based tax system, which means residents are taxed on their worldwide income, regardless of where that income was earned. South African tax residents living overseas and earning remuneration in respect of services rendered outside of South Africa are exempt from tax in South Africa, provided that the individual is outside of South Africa for a period or periods exceeding 183 full days (60 of which have to […]
Valuation of trading stock for tax purposes
On 27 September 2019, just over a year since delivering judgement in another matter with very similar facts, the Supreme Court of Appeal in CSARS v Atlas Copco South Africa (Pty) Ltd (834/2018) [2019] ZASCA 124 gave a judgement on the valuation of trading stock for income tax purposes. The general (and oversimplified) principle is that taxpayers are allowed, as a deduction, the value of opening trading stock […]
The 2019 Tax Season is here
The 2019 tax season officially started on 1 July 2019. Different filing periods apply, depending on the way a taxpayer chooses to submit their return: Taxpayers who use e-filing to submit their returns have from 1 July 2019 until 4 December 2019. Provisional taxpayers have until 31 January 2020. Taxpayers who prefer to visit a […]
Tax season 2019: What can you expect?
SARS recently released two media statements, in which it notes several improvements made to eFiling for the 2019 tax season, including the issue of customised notices indicating specific documents required in the event of an audit or verification and a simulated outcome issued before a taxpayer has filed. What is the tax season? Tax season […]
Value-Added remarks on Value-Added Tax (VAT)
VAT is an integral part of our economic society and is something that influences everyone, especially businesses in South Africa. In this article, we will discuss a few do’s and don’ts regarding VAT. Valid tax invoices In South Africa’s current tax system, vendors that are registered for VAT are allowed a deduction for the tax […]
Sale of shares: Income vs revenue – Back to first principles
The distinction between amounts of a capital nature as opposed to a revenue (or income) nature is essential, and over the years, few other topics have enjoyed so much attention in our tax courts. Although most taxpayers appreciate this distinction, it is essential to revisit the core principles from time to time, to ensure that […]
Value-added Remarks on Value-added Tax (VAT)
VAT is an integral part of our economic society and is something that influences everyone, especially businesses in South Africa. In this article, we will discuss a few do’s and don’ts regarding VAT. Valid tax invoices In South Africa’s current tax system, vendors that are registered for VAT are allowed a deduction for the tax […]
REQUESTS FOR SUSPENSION OF PAYMENT FROM SARS
Since its introduction, the “pay now, argue later” rule relating to disputed amounts of tax has been and remains to be the subject of much controversy, and rightfully so. The basic premise is that even though you disagree with an amount of tax, once you have been assessed by SARS, the amount becomes due and […]
ZERO-RATING OF SERVICES TO NON-RESIDENTS
South African value-added tax (VAT) vendors are often unsure of the tax consequences of issuing invoices to foreign customers or clients and whether such services should be invoiced at the standard rate of 15% or be zero-rated. As is generally the case with tax (especially VAT), the answer is that it depends on the circumstances. […]
2018: A YEAR IN TAX
As 2018 has come to an end, we reflect on some of the significant highlights (and lowlights) of the 2018 tax year. Davis Tax Committee concludes its work The Davis Tax Committee (DTC) was appointed by the Minister of Finance in 2013, to inquire into the role of the tax system in the promotion of […]
