What are the tax implications of trading or buying shares?

What are the tax implications of trading or buying shares?

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The tax implication for having shares boil down to two things, whether your gain is income in nature or capital (gain) in nature. Let’s start by defining these two things:

Income: 

Shares held as trading stock are bought mainly for resale at a profit. In other words, any shares held for speculative purposes normally fall under this category. The profits or any gain or loss made on the disposal of such shares (held for-profit/speculative) purposes will be of a revenue nature and will not be subject to capital gains.

Gains of a revenue nature are subject to tax at marginal tax rates that vary between 18% and 45% depending on the circumstances of the taxpayer after taking into account all his/her other income (such as salary, rent, business income e.t.c.) The taxpayer can also deduct expenses directly related to the trading of these shares such as broker fees, transaction fees, subscription to broker news, tools and platforms and any such costs directly related to the trading of these shares.

Capital: 

On the other end of the spectrum, for shares held as a capital asset (that is as a long-term dividend producing investment,) any gains or losses arising from such shares (held for investment/dividend earning) upon disposal will be of a capital nature.

Gains that are of a capital nature are subject to capital gains and at a lower tax rate than gains of a revenue nature. Firstly, you get an exclusion of R40 000 as an individual on your gains. This means that you start paying capital gains tax if your gains exceed R40 000 for a tax year (year of assessment.) This is known as the annual exclusion. For natural persons dying during or after the 2020 tax year of assessment, the exclusion is R300 000.

In addition to the annual exclusion, 40% of the gains are included in taxable income and then taxed as the normal marginal tax rates that apply to your salaries or other income. This 40% is known as the inclusion rate. Assuming that your marginal tax rate is 45% (the highest tax bracket,) the maximum you pay on capital gains is 18% (0.4 x 0.45 = 0.18.)

Yes, you guessed it right, there can be 0% tax on your capital gains when:

  • The sum of capital gain and losses does not exceed the annual exclusion;
  • The sum of capital gain is less than or equal to the sum of capital losses (which means your gains set off against your gains); or
  • Taxable income falls below the level at which normal tax becomes payable, that is if your combined income plus gains fall under the tax-free threshold.

The effective rate (of 18%) we spoke about earlier applies if you fall in the highest tax bracket as an individual taxpayer. The rate is different from that which applies to companies or trusts. Companies and trusts, other than special trusts, pay a higher CGT than natural persons. They do not qualify for the annual exclusion and must include the capital gain at 80% of the gain into their taxable income.  These are the effective tax rates:

  • Companies are at an effective rate of 22.4% which is derived from the 80% inclusion rate and the 28% normal taxes for companies (0.28 x 0.8.)
  • A trust that is not a special trust si at 36% effective tax rate for capital gains (0.45 x 0.8)

What we have done above is the simplest way to look at share-holding. Are things that simple? Not always. The line between gains/losses of a revenue nature or gains of a capital nature can be a bit blurry.

Capital vs revenue: 

When computing your tax liability, the first step is to determine if your gains are capital or revenue in nature. Apart from the three-year rule according to Section 9C (that basically says you must own a share for at least 3 years for your gains to be treated as capital in nature,) the Tax Act itself does not provide objective rules to distinguish between gains of revenue and capital nature. This task has always been left to the courts, which over the years have established some rules for this distinction. So, the onus is on you as the taxpayer to prove that your gains are of a capital or revenue nature.

The most important factor in establishing the nature of your gains is the intention. This is not always an easy task since you can have more than one intention at a time and since intention can change over time. But, the courts have established that the taxpayer evidence as to intention must be tested against the surrounding circumstances of the case. These may include, the frequency of transactions, method of funding and reasons for selling. These may help establish your intention when you bought or sold the shares (Elandsheuwel Farming (Edms) Bpk v SBI.) “If they (the shares) were bought as a long-term investment to produce dividend income, the profit is likely to be of a capital nature. But if the shares were bought for resale at a profit, the profit will be of a revenue nature.”

In SIR v The Trust Bank of Africa Ltd it was established that for a profit to be of a capital nature, “the slightest contemplation of a profitable resale need not be excluded.

Where there were mixed intentions, the dominating intention is the one that establishes intention (COT v Levy.)

Some general guidelines/Principles (source, the SARS guide on tax implications on shares:) 

  • Any profit or loss on disposal of shares will be of a revenue nature if they were purchased for resale as part of a scheme of profit-making (Californian Copper Syndicate (Limited and Reduced) v Harris (Surveyor of Taxes)
  • A profit on the sale of shares is more likely to be of a revenue nature if it was not fortuitous, but designedly sought for and worked for (CIR v Pick ’n Pay Employee Share Purchase Trust )
  • The usual badge of fixed capital investment is that it is acquired for better or for worse, or, relatively speaking, for “keeps”, and will be disposed of only if some unusual, unexpected, or special circumstance, warranting or inducing disposal, supervened (Barnato Holdings Ltd v SIR). 
  • The scale and frequency of share transactions are of major importance, although not conclusive (CIR v Nussbaum).
  • Shares bought for the dominant, main and overriding purpose of securing the highest dividend income possible will be of a capital nature when the profit motive is incidental (CIR v Middelman).
  • Just as an occasional swallow does not make a summer, an occasional sale of shares yielding a profit does not of itself make a seller of shares, a dealer in them (CIR v Middelman).

I do not want to make this a complex matter, so let’s end here. If you need further information or guidance get in touch with me or consult your tax practitioner.

Are you learning anything from this series? Do you want to share any pointers or experiences?

Please leave a comment and remember to share.

What can I do if SARS ghosts/blue-tick me?

What can I do if SARS ghosts/blue-tick me?

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KEY TAKEAWAY POINTS:

  • SARS has 21 business days to complete a verification
  • They may finalise it with or without changes
  • If they take more than 21 business days, you have a right to lodge a complaint
  • If nothing happens, you may take the matter up with the office of the tax ombud
  • Remember to keep a proper track record of the matter and/or any follow-ups you make on the matter
  • In this article, we discuss what verification is, what to do when you are selected for verification and if SARS does not bother to get back to you on time.

INTRODUCTION:

SARS has capacity issues that they are working hard to resolve, But, it seems this 2021 tax season they took more than what they can handle.

We have observed many taxpayers who have been selected for verification but who have not heard back from SARS many days after the verification was initiated. Under normal circumstances, SARS has up to 21 working days to finalise a verification and issue a finalisation letter and/or final or adjusted assessment.

In one case we have looked at, for example, the taxpayer who was selected for verification on 29 July 2021 has not heard back from SARS even at the time of writing this article. We are certain, she is not alone in this.

Let’s look at some important definitions before we can consider what one must do if SARS takes their time on the verifications.

What is verification?

Being selected for an audit and verification are two different processes. With a verification, SARS is doing a face value verification of the information declared by the taxpayer on the declaration or in a return. This involves the comparison of the information on the return against the financial and accounting records and/or other supporting documents. All this is to ensure that the declaration/return is a fair and accurate representation of the taxpayer’s tax position. (Remember, in terms of the Tax Administration Act, the onus is on the taxpayer to provide supporting documentation to prove that the deductions and information on their declaration are reasonable, fair and accurate.)

Who can be selected for verification?

Any taxpayers can be selected for a verification process for the proper administration of tax. The selection can also be done on a risk basis. What should you do if you are selected for verification?

What should you do if I am selected for verification?

SARS will notify the taxpayer if they have selected them for verification. The letter issued will state what the taxpayer must do or provide to SARS. The letter will also notify the taxpayer to check their tax return and to make any corrections if there are any discrepancies on their tax return. The taxpayer will be given 21 business days from the date of the letter in which to provide the supporting documents and schedules. These documents and schedules can be submitted via eFiling or SARS support documents portals.

During the verification, you can expect to get another letter requesting additional information if the relevant material initially supplied was not sufficient to finalize the verification. If you are due for a refund, you may not get this until the verification process is finalised.

What happens if you do not respond to the verification?

It is always important to keep an eye out for SARS correspondences on your email or eFiling. Normally SARS sends you a message and email when they have issued important notices.

If you choose not to respond SARS may:

  • Issue a second letter reminding you to submit relevant information
  • Issue a final request for relevant information
  • If you still do not respond, a SARS official will contact you telephonically and request that you submit the necessary relevant material within 5 business days.
  • Should you still not respond, SARS may raise an assessment based on information readily available or obtain from a third party.

Now let’s consider what your options are if SARS ghosts you.

What if you have complied/responded but SARS takes all the time in the world on the verification?

There is the office of the tax ombud that can help with operational issues. But, it does not get involved before you have exhausted all internal SARS complaints mechanisms. You can only go directly to the office of the tax ombud only if there are compelling reasons to do so.

So, the first step to take is to complain to the SARS complaints office. To do so, you must be sure that the matter is now outside the normal service period, as in the example we have earlier about the taxpayer who was selected for verification on 20 July and has not yet back from SARS ever since.

There are three ways through which one can complain with SARS:

  • Via eFiling. See the step-by-step guide on how to complain eFiling. Please note that you have to be registered on eFiling to be able to do this. You may not download or print the form to send it by any other means. You must also have a valid case number to which your complaint relates.
  • By visiting the branch. If you do, you may need to ensure that you have spoken to all relevant higher people before you leave the branch. Due to covid, you may need to make an online appointment.
  • By calling the SARS Complaints Management office (CMO) on 0860 12 12 16.

Do not call the call normal call centre and say you are following up on an unresolved matter, the call centre agents may just “escalate” your case and normally that achieves very little. If your complaint is not resolved after 21 working days, you may take the matter to the office of the tax ombud.

Here are a few tips on winning the battle against SARS poor service/administrative issues and making sure you have a winnable case when you approach them or the Tax Ombud:

Be specific: 

If you have a complaint, it is better to call the Complaints Management Office (CMO.) If you call the SARS contact centre to get a reference number, specify that it is a complaint with a complaint, specify that it is a complaint and not a follow-up. If you keep calling the call centre and saying you are following up, it may remain just that, a follow-up. You need to specify that you have a complaint so that it is treated as one. Some complaints will need case numbers, make sure you call the contact centre to get one.

Build a compelling case:

The most important thing to do when dealing with SARS is to build a good case, this is whether you are raising a complaint, an appeal or an objection. You will need a system to record your interactions with SARS (at each touchpoint with them). You also need to store documents and supporting documents relevant to the taxpayer’s case. The system of recording your interactions with SARS should allow you to build a timeline of how the case is developed and to ensure that you have all the documents you need for this case.

One such system is to make sure each client file/folder contains relevant subfolders that will help you gather the important and necessary information. The other is to build a dashboard that records the timeline and communications with SARS. This can take any form, for example, Word or Google docs, a task management tool like Asana, Trello or Monday.com.

NB: You do not do this because something has gone wrong, but because things may go wrong and often they do go wrong, but because things may go wrong.

The advantage of doing things this way is that you will save yourself a lot of time when doing the actual complaint, even an appeal or objection. The Tax Ombud form will ask you to summary your case in chronological order. So, if you had been building a case over time, this process will be a breeze. You have all the facts and timeline at your fingertips.

Do you need help with your SARS matters? Contact us here

Basic deductions you can use to save on tax (how to get a tax refund)

Basic deductions you can use to save on tax (how to get a tax refund)

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The tax season is offically coming to an end for non-provisional taxpayers in the next few days. But, even if you are planning for the next tax season, this article is for you as it will consider a few options/deductions that you can use to reduce your tax liability. Let’s consider these:

Medical aid credits:

Taxpayers can claim deductions (or tax credits) for medical aid schemes they contribute to. This can be applied where you contribute as a principal member or where you are not a principal member but pay for and on behalf of someone like a close family member. The credits depend on the number of beneficiaries of the medical aid. The more the beneficiaries the more the credits one can get. For the taxpayer or the first beneficiary, the tax credit is R332 for the 2022 tax year (R319 – 2021), R664 for the taxpayer and one dependant (2022 or 638 for the 2021 tax year0 and R224 for any additional beneficiary (215 for the 2021 tax year.)

Retirement annuity:

If you make contributions towards a pension, provident fund or retirement annuity, you can also claim deductions on taxable income. Taxpayers are allowed to deduct up to, from their taxable income, 27.5% of their remuneration of taxable income, whichever is greater, up to a maximum of R350 000 per tax year if they contributed to a retirement annuity fund, pension or provident fund.

Therefore, it is important that the taxpayer examines and calculate their annual contribution in order to fully take advantage of this tax benefit. However, there is no tax benefit once you withdraw from this fund (we will talk about withdrawals in another publication.)

Donations:

The taxpayer can also claim donations against his/her taxable income. There is a catch though. The deduction is limited to 10% of the taxpayer’s taxable income before claiming donations as a deduction (so, if the taxable income is R300 000, the claim cannot be more than R30 000.) The charitable organisation the taxpayer gives a donation to must also furnish the taxpayer with a Section 18A certificate, not just a receipt.

Home office expenses.

We have previously written about home expenses here. So, if you need a more detailed guide, please refer to that article. However, let’s cover a few things here too. Certain expenses that a taxpayer incur as a result of working from home can be claimed as a deduction against taxable income provided certain conditions are met:

  • The employer must allow the taxpayer to work from home. So, you can’t just work from home because you want to. Your employer must give you express permission to work from home.

  • The taxpayer must spend more than half (50%) of their total working hours working from their home office.
  • The part of the home in respect of which a claim is submitted must be occupied for purposes of a “trade”, as defined in section 1. So, in essence, there should be a specific part of the home that is used exclusively for this purpose. As an example, a specific set aside office must be kept aside for the trade. A taxpayer meeting with a client in the bar area of their home may not qualify for these deductions.
  • Building from the point above, the part that is so occupied must be specifically equipped for purposes of the trade. So, it is important that the space/office must be specially fitted with the relevant instruments, tools and equipment required for the taxpayer to perform their work.
  • The part must be regularly and exclusively used for purposes of the trade. As an example, taxpayers who earn a commission but who spend the majority of their time on the road visiting clients and performing their work at the client’s premises do not qualify for home office expense deduction.

Refer to our previous article on home office expenses for further details and examples of expenses that a taxpayer can get as a deduction for working from home.

Tax-free investments:

These accounts are offered by various financial institutions. The tax benefit is that any income (interest, dividends, REIT payments and capital gains) accrued or received from these funds are exempt from tax. For example, interest income earned is fully exempt from tax as opposed to interest earned elsewhere, which can be exempt only up to certain amounts as per the Act. Though the income is exempt, this must still be included on the taxpayer’s tax return.

Contributions to these funds should not exceed R33 000 annually and a lifetime agreement of R500 000. Any contribution above these amounts triggers a tax on the income earned.

Foreign income:

Ever heard f the 183 days rule? Individuals working overseas for a 183-day term could claim back tax deductions on income earned for the period there were outside the Republic. After 1 March 2020, the exemption is the first R1.25 million of foreign employment income earned by a resident will qualify for an exemption for tax years commencing on or after 1 March 2020.

Travel claim:

If you use your vehicle for work purposes and you are able to prove to SARS that you used your vehicle for work purposes, then you can claim a deduction on it. The catch, keep a travel logbook. Do not “manufacture one!”

Wear and tear:

The world is changing and often employees will use their own tools and equipment to carry out their work. If you are using goods/tools that you bought with your money for work purposes you are entitled to claim depreciation on these tools/assets. These can be computers or laptops. The catch, the cost of the assets must be written off over a time stipulated by SARS and you must be able to prove that the asset/tool was used for work purposes. For example, computers are written off over a period of 3 years. Assets that cost less than R7000 can be written off in full in the year of purchase.

Business expenses:

For the purposes of this article, we will treat a business as an unregistered business such as rental, sole proprietors and freelance businesses run by a taxpayer in their personal capacity. The taxpayer will get deductions for all business running costs as long as they are directly related to the business and as long as they can prove that they are business expenses. The expenses can include but are not limited to:

  • Interest on bond payments (note: not the full bond instalment)

  • Rates and taxes paid on the property
  • Water and electricity
  • Levies
  • Depreciation on furniture in the property
  • Advertising and/or rental agency fees
  • General maintenance and repairs cost like garden services, repairs and painting, cleaning services etc
  • Wear and tear
  • travel costs
  • Business running costs

Capital gains:

Individual taxpayers get an annual exclusion of R40 000 on capital gains. This means that they will start paying for CGT for any gain above R40 000. Also, only 40% of the gain is included in taxable income. If you are holding shares for investment purposes, this may be applicable to you. There can be 0% tax on your capital gains when:

  • The sum of capital gain and losses does not exceed the annual exclusion;

  • The sum of capital gain is less than or equal to the sum of capital losses 9which means your gains set off against your gains); or
  • Taxable income falls below the level at which normal tax becomes payable, that is if your combined income plus gains fall under the tax-free threshold.

For comparative purposes, CGT for individuals is smaller than it is for companies. This is important if you are going to consider holding your investment asset in your personal capacity or in a company. Individual taxpayers, assuming a higher tax bracket, pay a total of 18% on capital gains compared to 22.4% for companies.

Another very important aspect of CGT is the primary residency exclusion. “For the 2018 and 2019 years of assessment, the first R2 million of a capital gain or loss on disposal of a primary residence must be disregarded. This concession, known as the primary residence exclusion, means that most individuals will not be subject to CGT on the sale of their primary homes.”

We will discuss this concept in our future publications. For now, we just wanted to bring to your attention that you may qualify for this exclusion if you sold your primary residence.

There are various other incentives that can be applied by a taxpayer to reduce their tax liability, such as accelerated wear and tear on properties, urban development zones allowances, Section 12J, and certain investments that give the taxpayer some tax benefits. We will discuss these in our future publications to avoid an information overload.

Did you find this article helpful? Do you need help with your taxes? Give us a shout.

How to close a business in South Africa

How to close a business in South Africa

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Who should be reading this article? 

  • Anyone whose business is no longer trading and wishes to wind it down
  • Anyone who wants to liquidate their business
  • Anyone who has lost interest in their registered business and now wishes to discontinue it

KEY TAKE AWAY POINTS:

  1. Pay all outstanding creditors
  2. Collect from all debtors if any
  3. Cancel all contracts (ensuring that all the conditions and terms of doing so are understood and taken care off)
  4. Inform all employees and customers of the intention to close down the business
  5. Sell your business assets (including the cars) and stock (if any) or write off any assets or inventory no longer – S basically liquidate the business
  6. The last step would be to distribute any cash or assets that remain in the business
  7. Deregistering at the CIPC
  8. Deregistering with SARS (all tax numbers)

Why may you consider closing a business off?

There are many reasons for this. But, you may consider closing off your business because of any of the following reasons (not limited to this list:)

  • The business was negatively affected by COVID and there is no possibility of the business doing well again in the future
  • The business has become unprofitable and it no longer makes sense to continue operating
  • Your focus or passion has changed and you would like to focus on something else
  • The project for which the business was designed has ended and will not be resuming again in the future
  • The most profitable clients of the business have left and you do not see the business attracting any new clients
  • Changes in technology that drive your product or business out of the market
  • You no longer have the cash flow or working capital to keep the business going
If you are considering closing down your business, the following steps and considerations are important:

1. Have an exit strategy:

Truly speaking, this should happen before there is a need to close down a business. This is because we will all exit from our business one way or the other. Some of the exit reasons are what we have already highlighted above. But, it could also be due to health reasons, death, new investors, a merger or sale of the business or part of the business. Whatever the reason, every business should have an exit and succession plan in place.

Your goal here is to formulate a plan of how you will close down the business or exit from the business. Without a plan, things usually go wrong and you may be caught unaware along the way.

2. Notify your employees:

After your customers, your employees are an important asset to the business. Besides, they have families to feed and lives to live. Leaving it until late may place an unnecessary mental burden on them and leave them with little time to look for alternative employment. As an alternative, use your relationships to find then alternative employment.

But, the important point here is to keep the employees in the loop, not in the dark, about what is going on. Also, decide on who will handle the communications with the employees. It is also important to decide and communicate their terminal benefits and how these will be paid.

3. Notify your clients

It is important to notify your clients in time so that they have time to look for alternative suppliers. Also, you may need to collect anything that they still owe you. It is important that you decide how you will collect and how they will be notified.

4. Collect your outstanding debts

Plan your business closure around your existing collection policies and avoid giving new credit lines to existing or new clients.

You also want to collect any outstanding debts before you close the business because it may become difficult to get payments once you have already closed off the business. Some businesses’ financial policies do not allow payments to individuals.

Avoid announcing that you want to close off your business before you collect outstanding debts because some clients may just stall on payments hoping it will all go away.

You can offer settlement discounts to encourage customers to settle their accounts. An alternative is selling these accounts to a collecting agency.

5. Notify your creditors and pay outstanding debts

Inform your creditors of your decision to close and ensure you have a plan to handle the outstanding debts.

SARS may be one of those creditors. Ensure that you have filed all your returns and that every return is paid for. If you are unable to pay them, there are processes you can follow to ask for a compromise or a repayment plan (Click here to read more about compromises and repayment plans here.)

There may be specific laws on how you may pay your creditors. Ensure you are familiar with these and follow them in settling your creditors. If you are not sure, enlist the services of a lawyer.

6. Sell your business and operating assets 

If you can, package some of the cash-generating units that are still functional and profitable and sell these to interested parties. If this is not possible, you may want to sell the assets in the business including all the inventory, vehicles and other operating assets you may still have if there is a market available for them.

7. Deregister the business

Once you are satisfied that all processes are complete, it is now time to deregister your business with the CIPC. This is to inform the CIPC that your business is no longer in existence.

After this is done, inform SARS that you have deregistered the business. Also, apply to have all tax types (numbers) deregistered. This is to clear you of future tax compliance burden since your business is no longer in existence.

You may contact us if you need help with:

  • Company registrations
  • Tax and VAT registrations
  • Closing off your business
  • Accounting and Tax
  • Business mentorship and advisor

Credit notes under scrutiny, are you complying?

Credit notes under scrutiny, are you complying?

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What we have seen now is increased scrutiny of credit notes for compliance with the VAT Act. The main challenge is that in most instances accounting packages being used by businesses do not contain all the information required on a credit note by the VAT Act. It is therefore important that businesses and accountants ensure that credit notes comply with the Act before they are issued and before VAT claims are submitted. Otherwise, it will be difficult for businesses to get back their legitimate VAT claims.

Key elements that must be found on the credit note are the following:

  • Vendor details (names and addresses, VAT registration numbers for both the issuing and receiving party)
  • The words “credit note” must be clearly stated on the document being issued
  • A brief description of the circumstances that gave rise to the credit note. Now this one is critical and what you may find is that some accounting systems do not allow for this. We would encourage you to add this narration to the description part of the credit note.
  • Information sufficient to identify the original transaction to which the credit note relates, that is the original invoice that is being credited. In other words, if someone else who is not familiar with your records comes to check the credit notes, they should be able to trace its origins with ease.
  • It would also be very important to make sure that the correct VAT rate is applied. If the original invoice was issued before the VAT rate changes to 15%, then the credit note should also be at 14%. One cannot claim back more than what they declared.

In more detail and in terms of Section 21(3), of the VAT Act, a credit note must contain the following particulars:

(i) The words “credit note” in a prominent place;

(ii) the name, address and VAT registration number of the vendor;

(iii) the name, address of the recipient. And where the recipient is a registered vendor, the VAT registration number of the recipient;

(iv) the date on which the credit note was issued;

(v) either—
(aa) the amount by which the value of the said supply shown on the tax invoice has been reduced and the amount of the excess tax; or
(bb) where the tax charged in respect of the supply is calculated by applying the tax fraction to the consideration, the amount by which the consideration has been reduced and either the amount of the excess tax or a statement that the reduction includes an amount of tax and the rate of the tax included;

(vi) a brief explanation of the circumstances giving rise to the issuing of the credit note;

(vii) information sufficient to identify the transaction to which the credit note refers;

(b) the actual tax charged in respect of the supply concerned exceeds the tax shown on the tax invoice as charged, the supplier shall provide the recipient with a debit note, containing the following particulars:
(i) The words “debit note” in a prominent place;
(ii) the name, address and VAT registration number of the vendor;
(iii) the name, address and, where the recipient is a registered vendor, the VAT registration number of the recipient, except where the debit note relates to a supply of goods in respect of which a tax invoice contemplated in section 20 (5) was issued;

(iv) the date on which the debit note was issued;

(v) either—
(aa) the amount by which the value of the said supply shown on the tax invoice has been increased and the amount of the additional tax; or
(bb) where the tax charged in respect of the supply is calculated by applying the tax fraction to the consideration, the amount by which the consideration has been increased and either the amount of the additional tax or a statement that the increase includes an amount of tax and the rate of the tax included;

(vi) a brief explanation of the circumstances giving rise to the issuing of the debit note;

(vii) information sufficient to identify the transaction to which the debit note refers:

Provided that—
(A) it shall not be lawful to issue more than one credit note or debit note for the amount of the excess;
(B) if any registered vendor claims to have lost the original credit note or debit note, the supplier or recipient, as the case may be, may provide a copy clearly marked “copy”;
(C) a supplier shall not be required to provide a recipient with a credit note contemplated in paragraph (a) of this subsection in any case where and to the extent that the amount of the excess referred to in that paragraph arises as a result of the recipient taking up a prompt payment discount offered by the supplier if the terms of the prompt payment discount offer are clearly stated on the face of the tax invoice.

Did you just get VAT registered and you need someone to configure your accounting system for VAT? Click here to contact us

How to hold SARS accountable

How to hold SARS accountable

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The office of the Tax Ombud was established to act as a bridging gap between SARS and the taxpayer. But, taxpayers do not always have a direct line to connect with the Tax Ombud. A taxpayer may lodge a complaint with the Tax Ombud after they have exhausted all the SARS complaints mechanisms unless they are compelling circumstances for not doing so.  Otherwise, the process below will have to be followed:

There are three ways through which one can lodge a complaint with SARS:

  1. Via eFiling. See the step-by-step guide on how to lodge a complaint via eFiling. Please note that you have to be registered on eFiling to be able to do this. You may not download or print the form to send it by any other means.
  2. By visiting the branch. If you do, you may need to ensure that you have spoken to all relevant higher people before you leave the branch
  3. By calling the SARS Complaints Management office (CMO) on 0860 12 12 16.

Here are a few tips on winning the battle against SARS poor service/administrative issues and making sure you have a winnable case when you approach them or the Tax Ombud:

 

Be specific: 

If you have a complaint, it is better to call the Complaints Management Office (CMO.) If you call SARS contact centre to get a reference number, specify that it is a complaint with a complaint, specify that it is a complaint and not a follow-up. If you keep calling the call centre and saying you are following up, it may remain just that, a follow-up. You need to specify that you have a complaint so that it is treated as one. Some complaints will need case numbers, make sure you call the contact centre to get one.

Try again: 

Sometimes, a complaint lodged on eFiling may be rejected for one reason or the other. If you feel you have a  compelling case, pick up the phone and call the CMO so that they may record and lodge the complaints on your behalf. You may also call them if you are not sure how the process works on eFiling or if you are too far from a SARS office. For example, I once lodged a complaint about a delayed refund (because refunds should be paid 7 workings days after verification or audit is finalised) but the system kicked me out and rejected my complaint. The complaint was successfully lodged after calling the CMO.

Build a compelling case:

The most important thing to do when dealing with SARS is to build a good case, this is whether you are raising a complaint, an appeal or an objection. You will need a system to record your interactions with SARS (at each touchpoint with them). You also need to store documents and supporting documents relevant to the taxpayer’s case. The system of recording your interactions with SARS should allow you to build a timeline of how the case is developed and to ensure that you have all the documents you need for this case.

One such system is to make sure each client file/folder contains relevant subfolders that will help you gather the important and necessary information. The other is to build a dashboard that records the timeline and communications with SARS. This can take any form, for example, Word or Google docs, a task management tool like Asana, Trello or Monday.com.

NB: You do not do this because something has gone wrong, but because things may go wrong and often they do go wrong. Below is an example of client folders that tax practitioners or individuals can use:

The advantage of doing things this way is that you will save yourself a lot of time when doing the actual complaint, even an appeal or objection. The Tax Ombud form will ask you to summary your case in chronological order. So, if you had been building a case over time, this process will be a breeze. You have all the facts and timeline at your fingertips.

 

Are you frustrated with the way SARS has handled your affairs? How can we help you? Click here to contact us

How to avoid or reduce the risk of a SARS audit

How to avoid or reduce the risk of a SARS audit

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By now we all know that SARS is looking to raise more tax revenue to make up for revenue collection shortfalls. This means SARS may and will do all they can to increase revenue collections.

It will not be surprising to find that SARS audit teams will target taxpayers in order to raise additional income. Besides, their systems are designed to pick up “discrepancies” on a taxpayers’ return and these can easily trigger an audit. So do not be surprised if, a few days after submitting, you get a notification from SARS saying you’ve been selected to submit your supporting documentation for inspection or even that you have been selected for a full audit.

At Eva Financial Solutions, we have a team of dedicated and diligent tax practitioners working around the clock to ensure that you do not pay a single cent more that what you should legally pay over to SARS. We have designed our internal processes, checks and balances to ensure that, even if the audit comes, our clients can avoid an audit or the process goes smoothly without causing them unnecessary emotional stress.

Here are a few tips:
  • Always ensure that your tax affairs are up to date and that you have filed all tax returns as they fall due.
  • SARS has now made it easy to check your tax compliance status online. You should always check that your tax status is green (compliant). Once you have picked up that you are not compliant seek to address the issues sooner rather than later or consult your tax practitioner for help.
  • You should always come clean with the taxman before being audited. Once the audit has started, you are prevented from claiming the relief under section 227 of the TAA for coming clean.
  • Before you submit your return, ensure that you have all supporting documents for every income and deductions on your return. If you kept a personal data room, by the time your return is due you would have gathered all the necessary supporting documents for your tax return (Medical aid, Travel logbooks, Interest and Dividends certificates etc.).  Be warned, do not convince yourself that if you ignore SARS’ requests for documents long enough, it will just go away. Always have your house in order.
  • If you own and run a business as a sole proprietor or have a rental property, ensure that you do not include and deduct your personal expenses.
  • Chances are that an ordinary taxpayer will struggle to interpret various tax laws or will misinterpret certain SARS requests or requirements. Therefore, always use the services of a reputable tax practitioner or accounting firm. Eva Financial Solutions can assist you in this regard, contact them if you cannot get your own personal tax practitioner.
  • After submitting your return log into (or at least ask your tax practitioner to do so) SARS at least a few more time to check if SARS hasn’t issued any sneaky notifications that require your attention. If your email address and not that of your tax practitioner is linked to your profile, alert your tax practitioner if and when you receive any kind of notification from SARS.

When it comes to VAT, these tips might be helpful:

  • When you get VAT registered ensure that you have sent your VAT number to all your suppliers so that they may update their databases and add your VAT numbers onto your invoices.
  • Insist on getting a valid tax invoice from all your suppliers. When you receive a tax invoice, check that it meets all the requirements of a valid tax invoice
  • Check that the new VAT rate of 15%, and that the total price (including VAT) is correctly calculated before accepting the invoice/quote.
  • Before you submit your VAT return:
    • Check that you have claimed only where you are supposed to claim VAT (for example, you may not claim on motor car (passenger vehicle) rental or entertainment expenses as defined and other zero-rated or tax-exempt supplies.
    • Check that you have applied the correct tax types/rates to each transaction, for example, Zero-rated sales cannot be classified as tax-exempt. Ensure that each tax type is correctly populated on the VAT201 return.
    • Check that you have declared all standard rated sales (Sales VAT at 15%) that you should have declared and have done so using the correct VAT tax rate.
    • Perform turnover VAT reconciliation at each VAT return submission. This will always ensure that your income statement turnover matches your VAT return submission. This will also reduce the risk of an IT14SD and the time it may have to take you if you did this only because SARS asked you to do an IT14SD. Remember, SARS systems are designed to pick up discrepancies between your VAT return submissions and your annual income tax return turnover.
    • Before you hit submit, ensure that the VAT201 is correctly populated and the amounts contained are correct and matches your now correct VAT reports. Remember, once submitted you can only increase not reduce the amount payable.
    • Take care that cash register slips and tax invoices issued from 1 April 2018 reflect the correct VAT rate. This will generally be 15% unless a specific time of supply rule or a rate specific rule applies.
    • VAT vendors issuing debit or credit notes from 1 April 2018 must ascertain that the correct VAT rate is reflected and applied when determining the VAT amount. Debit or credit notes will generally reflect the old VAT rate of 14% where it relates to supplies of goods or services before 1 April 2018, subject to certain exceptions. Similarly, debit or credit notes relating to supplies made after 1 April 2018 must reflect the new rate of 15%.
    • If your accounting systems allow, ensure that you immediately lock the submitted periods so that no further changes are effected to a closed VAT period.

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Owing SARS, what are your options?

Owing SARS, what are your options?

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If you follow my posts, you would have come across one of my articles that dealt with the approach SARS has taken to deal with the non-submission of a tax return. This is a follow up to this article.

So now you read that SARS will prosecute you for non-submission and charge you an R5 600 fine if convicted (of course, you will be convicted because there is overwhelming evidence against you/your company that you did not submit a few tax/vat returns.) You then went on to submit all your outstanding returns but you now owe SARS large sums of money.

Taxpayers are required to be fully compliant in all their tax matters by submitting and paying their taxes on time. If taxpayers are not compliant or have outstanding tax debt the SARS Debt Management department is committed to assisting businesses and individuals to become fully compliant. There are a few avenues that SARS uses to assist in this regard.

How much do I owe?

If you are not 100% certain how much you owe SARS, you will need to contact their call centre to enquire about your outstanding balances. If you stay not far away from a SARS branch, a visit to the SARS branch would not kill you. When you visit, just ensure you have all your particulars with you to avoid being turned away. Lastly, if you were registered for e-filing, run a statement of account to see how much you owe SARS. Your next step is to make the outstanding payment to SARS. Contact SARS or your tax practitioner to help you load a payment that can then be released from your bank account.

What if I can’t pay the outstanding amount now?

Every taxpayer must be aware that it is best practice to always file a tax return on time in order to avoid penalties and interest. But, if you are currently unable to pay your taxes, please contact SARS without delay. The following options may be available to you:

  1. Payment arrangements: 

Under certain circumstances, SARS can reach an agreement with a taxpayer to defer a tax debt for later payment or for payment by instalments. A deferred payment arrangement is s when a taxpayer can not settle the full amount owing to SARS immediately and want to apply for a payment plan to settle the debt. Under this option:

  • SARS has the option to decline the request.
  • Interest will accrue on any unpaid debt.
  • If you don’t adhere to the conditions of the payment arrangement the payment agreement will be terminated and normal collection proceedings will resume.
  • The taxpayer must suffer from a deficiency of assets or liquidity, which is reasonably certain to be remedied in the future.
  • Notwithstanding this deficiency, the taxpayer must anticipate that there will be income or other receipts which can be used to satisfy the tax debt.
  • At the time of concluding the agreement, the prospects of collecting the tax debt must be poor or uneconomical, but likely to improve in the future.
  • Moreover, the deferral should not prejudice the collection of the tax debt

2. Compromise agreement:

In certain circumstances, a compromise may be requested on taxpayers’ outstanding tax debt. A SARS Debt Compromise is a process whereby a taxpayer requests that SARS permanently “write-off” a large portion of their debt, with the balance being paid in full by the taxpayer immediately on the condition that the taxpayer complies with any conditions as may be imposed by SARS.

A compromise cannot be considered if the taxpayer disputes the debt. Therefore while a matter is under objection or appeal, a compromise cannot be considered. If the taxpayer wants to compromise he has to withdraw his objection or appeal.

What if you do not agree with the debt? 

If you are not in agreement with your tax debt, you may lodge a dispute.  To lodge a dispute please go to objections and appeals. Even though you are disputing the tax debt you remain under obligation to pay the debt whilst your dispute is being handled.
Why you should consult Eva Financial Solutions if you need a debt arrangement or compromise
  • We deliver on our promise
  • Compromise solutions are difficult to obtain
  • For this reason, it is important that it is handled by qualified and dedicated tax practitioners.
  • We have a team of experts who will always work to get the best result.
  • Click here to contact us

How to guard yourself against being sued by SARS

How to guard yourself against being sued by SARS

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Since April 2018, SARS has been cracking down on non-complying taxpayers in filing their tax return. Since April, SARS has successfully prosecuted and convicted 10 taxpayers for failing to submit their outstanding tax return. Among these people is prominent soccer player, Teko Modise. Most of you would have also read about the socialite Bonang being dragged to court by SARS over non-compliance.

In terms of the Tax Administration Act, the following are viewed as criminal offences:

  • Avoiding paying taxes
  • Not submitting tax returns
  • Failure to submit information to SARS
  • Submitting false information to SARS
  • Giving an incorrect answer to SARS, whether in writing or orally
  • Failing or neglecting to register or failure to notify SARS of changes in registered particulars
  • Issuing an erroneous, incomplete or false document required under a tax Act

Here are a few tips to guard against being sued by SARS:

Appoint a tax practitioner:

Tax laws and requirements are constantly changing. Each year new laws are introduced. It is hard to keep up to date with these changes if you are non-tax experts. It is advisable to appoint tax practitioners to always advise you on tax-related matters and to submit the tax return for you in terms of the relevant laws. This will save you the costs of objections and “fighting” with SARS.

Always check your tax compliance status and inbox: 

One should regularly check their tax compliance status, which is a platform that gives an indication of whether one’s tax affairs are in order.

Your tax compliance profile should be green in all aspects as per the above image. The minute any of those tabs turn red, something has gone wrong with your tax affairs. You should immediately investigate and address these issues. SARS will also often send you a notification when your tax compliance status changes. When you receive this, immediately investigate and resolve it. If you hired a tax practitioner, you must also immediately notify them so that they can investigate and help you to resolve these identified issues.

Do not miss a return submission: 

You must always submit all your tax return where you are required to do so. Missing a tax return is a criminal offence and may land you in trouble. There are few instances where one may not be required to submit a tax return. If in doubt about whether or not you need to submit one, consult with your tax practitioner/professional. Generally, only people who meet the four below criteria do not have to submit an income tax:

– Your total employment income/salary for the year is not more than R350 000

–    You only received employment income/salary for the full year of assessment from one employer.

– You have no car allowance/company car/ travel allowance or other income (e.g. interest or rental income).

– You are not claiming tax related deductions/rebates (e.g. medical expenses, retirement annuity contributions other than pension contributions made by your employer, travel).

Keep and submit supporting documents: 

One must always ensure that for everything on their tax return, there is a valid supporting document. Constantly check your inbox to ensure that you respond to request for supporting documents by SARS. SARS is becoming quite strict with these. So, ensure that you have proper and valid supporting documents for your tax return.

Be truthful and honest: 

Remember, there is a difference between tax avoidance and tax optimisation. Tax avoidance is a criminal offence in terms of the Tax Administration Act and can land you in big trouble. When submitting your tax return, ensure that you have honestly done so. Declare all income that accrued to you in that tax year (salaries, rental income, commission and other incomes). In terms of expenses, you must take care not to include personal or expenses of a capital nature. As an example, personal groceries or drawings will not be allowed as deductions and should not form part of your deductions. Similarly, if you are in the business or renting cars or accommodation, the capital repayments on the car or property cannot be deducted as business expenses. If you have a home office, you may not claim your entire house’s rental expense.

For home office expenses, one would need to work out the total square meterage of the home office in relation to the total square meterage of the house, and then convert this to a percentage. One then applies this percentage to the home office expenditure in order to calculate the portion, which is deductible.

Conclusion: 

It is a criminal offence not to submit a tax return. Late submission of a tax return also has huge consequences. Submitting late can attract penalties, interests and administrative penalties, which can range from R250 to R16 000 per month. If you have a couple of outstanding returns, this is when SARS can get the NPA involved leading to an individual’s case being heard before the court.

Do you or your business need help to comply with tax laws or SARS? Click here to contact us

Is SARS always right? What if I do not agree with their assessments?

Is SARS always right? What if I do not agree with their assessments?

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Many of us see SARS as that horrible master who just wants to take our money at every opportunity possible, and it’s money they didn’t even work for. Sometimes you look at an assessment and you even wonder what they are trying to do. Maybe they even issue an assessment and go on to recover monies owed by you by issuing an instruction to your bank to deduct whatever they feel is due to them. If this happens, what are your options?

Once the Revenue Authority issues an assessment on your tax return and they have issued a notification for the tax payable or refundable under your tax return, you can:

  • Choose to accept the assessment
  • Ask for reasons as to how SARS arrived at the issued assessment. This must be done within 30 days from the date of the assessment
  • You can choose to lodge an objection within 30 business days from the date the assessment is issued or within 30 business days after receiving the reasons on how SARS arrived at its assessment

SARS has a detailed guide on how you may file a notice of objection. However, I would advise that you consult a professional tax practitioner to assist you:

  • Ascertain if SARS’ assessment is correct
  • Determine if the relevant tax laws were applied correctly
  • Correctly lodge a Notice of objection on your behalf

 

Tips to get your objection right: 
  1. Ensure that you have all the supporting documents for the amounts you are objection to justify your reasons for objecting to the assessment. (For example, if you believe SARS missed your Medical Aid contributions, then you must have the supporting medical aid certificate when you lodge your objections)
  2. Ensure that you indicate the tax type(s) and tax years that you which to proceed and object
  3. Ensure that you select the items to dispute against by selecting the relevant tick boxes
  4. Ensure you have selected the correct source codes/ transaction code of the disputed item is displayed. It is important that you get the correct source codes as SARS may reject the Objection based on the fact that you put an incorrect code even though the objection is on valid grounds.
  5. Watch that you distinguish between dispute amount and requested amount. Again, SARS may turn back your objection if the distinction between these two is not shown. The disputed amount is the amount that has been charged for interest or penalties for late payment are displayed. The requested amount indicate what you believe the amount should be. This is important because if this amount and the amount above are the same, SARS will reject the NOO on that technicality.

An objection that does not comply with the rules of objections and the Tax Administration Act may be disallowed. In terms of the rules, you may submit a revised objection within 20 days of receipt of the notice of invalidity by SARS

If the objection is disallowed, you may elect to accept the outcome or appeal against the decision. If you elect to appeal the outcome, then you may elect to take the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) route or the litigation route (via the tax board if less than R1 million or the tax court in all other cases).

You can initiate ADR by indicating that you wish to make use of the ADR process in your notice of appeal. Within 30 business days of your notice of appeal, SARS will inform you whether the matter is suitable for an ADR process. The ADR process must be concluded within 90 days.

If the dispute is resolved between you and SARS, it must be recorded and signed by you and a SARS representative. A settlement agreement must be approved by a senior SARS official. SARS will issue, where necessary, a revised assessment to give effect to the agreement reached by ADR. If the dispute is not resolved by ADR you may continue to appeal to the Tax Board, if the tax in dispute is below R1000 000, or the Tax Court.

Again, I want to stress out the need to consult a professional Tax Practitioner to assist you with this process. if you have gone through all these processes and have now won your case against SARS (where SARS issued unnecessary assessment without proper foundation), may you recover wasted costs incurred (consultations with lawyers and tax practitioners or accountants fees) through the unnecessary conduct of SARS officials?

The decision to use the services of professionals rests on the taxpayer. However, it goes without saying that the complexity of tax laws and regulations renders it necessary for one to consult with tax lawyers, accountants and tax practitioners. Currently, there is no formal authority covering whether taxpayers can recover their costs from SARS. But, practices in other tax jurisdictions allows taxpayers to recover damages in cases where they have suffered financial losses due to the conduct of the revenue authorities. In South Africa damages may be awarded by a competent court if the taxpayer can prove that he/she suffered financial loss as a result of the conduct of SARS.

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