Transfer duty – No surprises
The Transfer Duty Act 40/1949 (“the Act”) states that transfer duty (duty) is to be levied on any property acquired by any person by way of a transaction. The Act is clear as to whom and by when the duty is to be paid. It states that the duty shall be payable by the person […]
Emigrated and selling your house? Beware of withholding taxes
Many South Africans who simultaneously emigrate and cease to be South African tax residents are faced with a situation where the sale of a fixed property has not been finalised by the time they cease to be tax residents. This may result in the unintended consequence of them becoming a non-resident seller of immovable property in South Africa. In terms […]
Beware of scams during filing season
In late August 2020, a large credit bureau in South Africa was the target of a data breach where millions of private individual and company data records were compromised. This data leakage, coupled with the tax filing season, makes for the perfect opportunity for taxpayers’ information to be abused, subjecting taxpayers to potential financial loss. Scammers thrive on the inherent vulnerability of taxpayers during the tax season and know how to capitalise on the taxpayers’ struggles in dealing with […]
Practical considerations in claiming SARS COVID-19 relief
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 […]