Although companies or close corporations, as legal entities in their own right, bear the responsibility of debts incurred, and although directors, shareholders and members of these entities generally are not personally liable for such debts if the entities should become incapable of settling them, the Tax Administration Bill, 11 of 2011, contains several provisions in terms of which directors, shareholders and members can incur personal liability for such entities’ tax debts. Section 180 of the bill stipulates as follows:
A person is personally liable for any tax debt of the taxpayer to the extent that the person’s negligence or fraud resulted in the failure to pay the tax debt if (a) the person controls or is regularly involved in the management of the overall financial affairs of a taxpayer, and (b) a senior SARS official is satisfied that the person is or was negligent or fraudulent in respect of the payment of the tax debts of the taxpayer.
Accordingly, personal liability is not limited to income tax, but extends to “any tax debt”; the trigger for such personal liability is “negligence or fraud”; such negligence or fraud must have been the cause of the failure to pay the tax debt; potential personal liability extends to any person who “controls or is regularly involved in the management of the overall financial affairs of a taxpayer”, and a senior SARS official must be “satisfied” that such negligence or fraud occurred.
This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your financial adviser for specific and detailed advice.
