Tax amendments materially narrow understatement penalty defence
The bona fide inadvertent error defence is limited to substantial understatements, but there is relief for taxpayers seeking to challenge estimated assessments.
SARS
SARS warns rogue staff: resigning won’t save you
SARS has frozen the assets of former officials, signalling that employees who betray the institution will be held accountable – even after they leave.
SARS exceeds R2 trillion as compliance, not commodities, drives revenue
Milestone caps Kieswetter’s tenure as a new commissioner prepares to take office from 1 May.
Businesses should weigh VAT deregistration carefully
Rising the VAT threshold to R2.3m may prompt some businesses to deregister, but the process can trigger an immediate output tax liability on assets.
South Africans living abroad can no longer ignore the AIT process
Banks are already acting on the updated exchange control requirements, and transfers without an AIT certificate may be frozen.
SARS raids mark overdue escalation in illicit economy crackdown
Search-and-seizure operations targeting customs corruption mark a move from policy to enforcement, as SARS steps up efforts against illicit trade draining billions from the fiscus.
VAT decision highlights constitutional defects across tax Acts
Tax experts say the constitutional problem identified by the High Court could affect several other laws that give the finance minister similar powers.
GAAR assessments cannot be rewritten in litigation, SCA rules
SARS cannot fundamentally alter the factual basis or remedy of an assessment issued under the general anti-avoidance rule provisions through a Rule 31 statement.
Applying excess retirement contributions: implications for lump sums, annuities, and estates
Allan Gray’s Carla Rossouw clarifies excess contributions in relation to deduction limits, annuity income taxation, and the treatment of benefits at death.
Excess retirement contributions: when they help – and when they hurt
Converting discretionary savings into retirement vehicles can cut tax on living annuity drawdowns – but may reduce long-term value.
CARF expands SARS’s visibility over crypto transactions, says PwC
The new reporting regime, effective from 1 March, increases the information available to SARS through third-party reporting and international data exchange.
Holding the line: fiscal discipline takes centre stage
National Treasury Director-General Duncan Pieterse says South Africa’s core fiscal challenge is structurally low economic growth that trails population expansion.
Smart tech boosts compliance, yet R646bn tax debt looms large
Using AI and third-party data, SARS identified some 100 000 high-income earners who were not registered for tax.
VDP interest relief proposed despite recent Constitutional Court precedent
Just a year after the Constitutional Court barred post-agreement interest remission in voluntary disclosure cases, Treasury proposes legislation to allow it.
Court halts SARS’s ‘pay now, argue later’ rule in R531m tax battle
The judgment clarifies that when a taxpayer offers over-collateralised security and SARS cannot explain real risk, suspension should follow.
Zero-rated chicken will have minimal impact on tax revenue, report finds
Advocates say including certain chicken products in the zero-rated food basket will directly benefit poorer households that rely on bone-in cuts and offal.
Fewer taxpayers increasingly carrying the personal income tax load
With no inflation adjustment in 2025, PIT collections rose sharply, increasing the burden on individuals without changes to the headline rates.
