Valuation of trading stock for tax purposes
In 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 […]
Can a third party collect my taxes?
Decisions of South Africa’s courts are an essential source of law. The courts uphold and enforce the Constitution and develop common law that is consistent with the values of the Constitution, and the spirit and purpose of the Bill of Rights. In a taxation context, court decisions assist in how legislation must be interpreted or […]
Confidentiality of taxpayer information: The Court decides
Decisions of South Africa’s courts are an essential source of law. The courts uphold and enforce the Constitution and develop common law that is consistent with the values of the Constitution, and the spirit and purpose of the Bill of Rights. In a taxation context, court decisions assist in how legislation must be interpreted or […]
Can you lessen the blow of the pandemic?
While South Africa is currently in a state of lockdown during which a significant number of businesses have had to cease operations, some relief from a tax perspective has been announced by the government. Tax-compliant businesses with a turnover of less than R50 million will be allowed to defer (importantly, not have waived) 20% of their pay-as-you-earn liabilities over […]
Management of tax debt
With the tax filing season for individuals now closed, taxpayers may find themselves with tax debt that is due. This may be due to administrative penalties as a result of the non-submission of tax returns, the submission of a return without payment, only partial payment or debt arising from an audit assessment. The South African […]
The different VAT supplies
There are a few instances where VAT is not charged at the standard rate of 15%. In the following newsletter, we distinguished between the different supplies that attract VAT but does not necessarily have the impact of a standard rate supply. Denied Supplies The VAT Act provides for certain expenses where input VAT is denied, even if […]
Tax season 2019: What do you need to keep in mind?
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 […]
SARS on Managing Payroll Taxes
The South African Revenue Service (“SARS”) has recently made changes with regards to the management of payroll taxes in order for employers to more effectively manage their own accounts by way of a number of functions and tools. SARS states that the aim of these changes is to allow employers to ensure that all their […]
Taxpayers’ right to have disputes resolved
In a recent Tax Court decision[1], the Tax Court confirmed that taxpayers have a right to have their disputes resolved in a court of law as enunciated in section 34 of the Constitution. However, they cannot rely on this right when they are using delaying tactics to prevent the matter from being heard. In this […]