Tag: Taxpayers
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Rating formula for farming income
The Income Tax Act[1] provides for a natural person who derives income from farming operations to elect (within three months after a year of assessment) to be subject to tax according to a rating formula, instead of the normal income tax tables. The reason for this option is the (sometimes) abnormal and unpredictable way in […]
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Is there tax on gift cards?
The Cape Town Tax Court delivered a judgement on 17 April 2019 on the timing of income tax in relation to gift cards issued by a retailer.[1] Here, the taxpayer “sold” gift cards to its customers to be redeemed at any of the taxpayer’s stores. The question under consideration was whether the revenue from the […]
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Section 7C: What is it all about?
Section 7C of the Income Tax Act, No 58 of 1962 (the Act), was enacted effective 1 March 2017 and serves as an anti-avoidance measure aimed at curbing the tax-free transfer of wealth to trusts through the use of low interest or interest-free loans, advances or credits. The Explanatory Memorandum on the Taxation Laws Amendment […]
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SARS scams
Education and awareness around identity theft, phishing and other frauds have become part of life globally. If nothing else, scamsters are innovative and keep trying new avenues of defrauding businesses and individuals. In South Africa, this is no exception, and there has been a rise in the number of scams where persons pretend to be […]
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Helpful tax resources
South African taxes are inherently complex and often involve interpretation, consulting and in exceptional cases, a fair amount of educated guessing on exactly what the legislature intended when the various acts were drafted. However, in order to assist taxpayers through the maze of information, there are some very helpful aids available to taxpayers and tax […]
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Form requirements for objections
Dispute resolution with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) generally has a two-pronged approach. Firstly, taxpayers must present their case on the merits – this will include the factual basis and background that has led to the dispute. Secondly, and equally important (if not more so), is the procedural process. This deals with timeframes, form […]
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Different interest rates in tax
The Income Tax Act[1] contains definitions for various interest rates. These interest rates serve as the basis for interest calculations in income tax in different circumstances and can broadly be categorised into three main areas. Knowing the difference between these different types of interest rates could have a material impact on the amount of interest […]
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Valuation of preference shares
In income tax, the question of valuation of shares often causes a great deal of uncertainty, especially where shares are not traded on a recognised exchange. Although the Eighth Schedule to the Income Tax Act[1] in paragraph 31 gives some guidance on the market value of certain assets, the ‘catch-all’ method is the price that […]
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Dire provisional tax penalties on underestimation of income
Provisional taxpayers are generally those taxpayers who earn income from sources other than a salary. In other words, PAYE is not deducted from these other sources of income on a monthly basis and paid over to SARS. As is the case with PAYE, provisional tax presents a cash flow mechanism to National Treasury through which […]
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Registering for provisional tax
Many taxpayers file their tax returns on an annual basis unaware thereof that they may be regarded as provisional taxpayers in terms of the Income Tax Act, 58 of 1962, too. In its simplest form, provisional tax exists to provide for regular cash flows to the fiscus throughout the year. In this sense it exists […]
