Draft amendments narrow taxpayers’ ‘bona fide inadvertent error’ defence
The proposal restricts the ‘bona fide inadvertent error’ defence under the understatement penalty regime to cases where the tax shortfall is a ‘substantial understatement’.
Tax
SA residents face taxation on previously untaxed foreign pension benefits
The amendment treats foreign pension benefits like other residence-sourced income, shifting the retirement planning landscape for South Africans who worked overseas.
Treasury publishes tax changes affecting pensions, trusts, and individuals
In addition to foreign pensions and trust income, the measures affect death benefits, child maintenance, capital distributions by unit trusts, and assessed losses.
VAT-registered schools may face cashflow shock
The proposed blanket exemptions for goods and services supplied by schools will force VAT-registered schools to deregister and lose input-tax recovery.
Tax disputes: compliance and the interests of justice trump rigid timelines
The Supreme Court of Appeal found in favour of SARS despite it ignoring a 45-day timeline for more than a year.
Understanding the CGT implications of convertible preference shares
Knowing whether your conversion is ‘fixed’ or ‘contingent’ is crucial to avoid unexpected capital gains tax bills.
SARS: Almost 100% of its auto assessments are accurate
Tax practitioners say the headline statistic may obscure the true extent of incomplete auto assessments.
New Sygnia fund offers crypto exposure in a life insurance structure
The Life Bitcoin Plus Fund uses a ‘portable alpha’ strategy to generate returns beyond the performance of the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF.
SCA confirms validity of a tax opinion when it is correct in fact and law
Supreme Court rejects SARS’s argument that the expert’s opinion was tainted by self-interest because of the fee he would earn.
Need for trust and taxpayer support to drive voluntary tax compliance
Despite improvements in taxpayer education and system simplification, low trust in government remains the biggest barrier to voluntary compliance in Africa.
SARS escalates crypto crackdown – how to advise clients
Whether clients are long-term holders of crypto or occasional traders, transparency now is better than an audit later.
Why few taxpayers report eFiling profile hijackings to the police
Low-income earners fear being ignored, while high-income earners and large businesses find the police to be inefficient.
HFA warns: NHI will slash healthcare, raise taxes, and drain the economy
The Health Funders Association, which represents nearly half of SA’s private healthcare market, is the latest organisation to launch a legal challenge against the NHI Act.
How your living annuity start date can cost (or save) you tax
Aligning your retirement date with the tax year can smooth income withdrawals and avoid unintended bracket creep.
Beefed-up SARS might stave off R20bn in tax increases in 2026
An inflation-linked rise in the general fuel levy will in no way be sufficient to plug the revenue hole left by scrapping the two VAT increases.
SCA upholds pre-commencement tax debts in business rescue
The Supreme Court of Appeal confirms that re-quantifying a tax debt post-rescue commencement doesn’t create a new, preferential liability – cementing SARS’s place as a concurrent creditor under an approved rescue plan.
Constitutionality of the minister’s power to amend tax rates remains untested
UCT tax lecturer Ben Cronin argues that by allowing the minister to amend the income tax rates by announcement in the Budget, Parliament has overstepped its competence, eroding the doctrine that places legislative authority firmly in its hands.
