VAT treatment of irrecoverable debts

What happens to the VAT that was paid over to SARS? Vendors often provide goods or services to clients on credit. In the current economic climate, clients are more likely to acquire goods or services on credit and may thereafter be unable to settle these debts. Other factors, for example disputes, may also result in […]

A&P services and zero-rated supplies

On 3 April 2020, the Supreme Court of Appeal delivered a judgement against Diageo South Africa (Pty) Ltd (“Diageo SA”) in a value-added tax (“VAT”) matter relating to the supply of advertising and promotion (“A&P”) services to various non-South African brand owners in the group. Diageo SA entered into an agreement with the foreign brand […]

What’s new in the world of tax?

On 21 July, National Treasury and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) released the second batch of draft tax amendments for the 2019 legislative cycle, which includes both proposed substantive tax amendments, and administrative changes. This follows the release of the first batch on 10 June 2019, dealing predominantly with addressing abusive arrangements aimed at […]

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. […]

VALID TAX INVOICE REQUIREMENTS FOR VAT VENDORS

When making a purchase for your business, you should always ensure you receive a valid VAT invoice. This enables you to claim input VAT from SARS. With the change in VAT rate from 14% to 15%, VAT has come under the spotlight. This brings more focus on VAT compliance and more specifically on when we […]