Section 24C Allowance: Future expenditure

The nature of a taxpayer’s business may be such that the taxpayer receives amounts under a contract that will be used to finance expenditure to be incurred in future in performing under that contract. Generally, this would result in an inclusion of the amount in that taxpayer’s income in that year of assessment. In contrast, […]

Home office expenditure

Taxpayers who are salaried employees have limited deductions available to them. However, home office expenditure can be claimed as an income tax deduction, but the onus is on the taxpayer to prove that the expenses are in fact deductible. For employment to constitute a “trade” and to qualify to deduct home office expenditure, the taxpayer […]

Wear-and-tear allowance

Capital expenditure incurred in the production of income and in carrying on of a trade does not qualify for a deduction under the so-called general deduction formula in section 11(a) of the Income Tax Act No 58 of 1962 (the Act). The Act does, however, grant deductions or allowances for specific types of capital expenditure […]

Correction of an assessment: Section 93

As portrayed in the Tax Administration Act No 28 of 2011 (TAA), the dispute resolution rules lay out the legal framework to be followed by both the taxpayer and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to resolve disputes. Section 93 of the TAA lists a number of circumstances under which SARS can reduce a taxpayer’s […]

Retirement saved from controversial tax proposal

When an individual ceases to be a South African tax resident prior to retirement from a South African retirement fund and becomes tax resident of another country, that individual’s interest in a retirement fund may, on payment of a lump sum or monthly pension, be subject to tax in the other country. The application of […]

Disputing SARS decision and assessments

A taxpayer who is aggrieved by an assessment or decision of SARS against that taxpayer has the right to dispute that assessment or decision. If an original assessment has not been issued, SARS may request a taxpayer to submit an amended return to correct an undisputed error made in the prior return. In the case […]

Why do I need to know my rights as a taxpayer?

Since the introduction of the Tax Administration Act in 2011, which aimed to consolidate most of the administrative matters in tax acts, taxpayers have become ever more aware of their rights in dealing with the South African Revenue Service (SARS). There has also been a significant increase in the number of cases in the Tax Court (as […]

For how long can your taxes haunt you?

In terms of section 99 of the Tax Administration Act, 28 of 2011, an assessment may not be made three years after the date of an original assessment by the South African Revenue Service (SARS), or in the case of a self-assessment by a taxpayers (such as in the case of a Value-Added Tax return), […]

REGISTRATION OF A TRUST AS A TAXPAYER

The frustration experienced by taxpayers and the complexity of registering a trust as a taxpayer with the South African Revenue Service (SARS), has been widely publicised in recent years. Despite calls from industry bodies for a simplified approach (like companies and individuals), registering a trust as a taxpayer remains an overly complex process. The inconsistency […]

TAX ALLOWANCES AGAINST ASSETS USED FOR PURPOSES OF TRADE

The Income Tax Act[1] allows for various income tax allowances to be claimed in respect of moveable assets used for purposes of a taxpayer’s trade. Most commonly, section 11(e) provides for a deduction equal to the amount by which the value of any machinery, plant, implements, utensils and articles have diminished by reason of wear […]