Expenses must be intended to produce taxable income
Expenses must be intended to produce taxable income To successfully deduct an expense, there must be a link to earning taxable income. Section 11(a) of the Income Tax Act, the so-called ‘general deduction formula’, seems to have produced more court cases than virtually any other Section of the Act. And each time, the courts tell […]
Wear-and-tear allowance
Wear-and-tear allowance Capital expenditure incurred in the production of income and in carrying on of a trade does not qualify for a deduction under the so-called general deduction formula in section 11(a) of the Income Tax Act No 58 of 1962 (the Act). The Act does, however, grant deductions or allowances for specific types […]
Anomalies in fringe benefits regarding retirement funds addressed
With effect from 1 March 2016, and in terms of paragraph 2(l) of the Seventh Schedule to the Income Tax Act, all employer contributions to a retirement fund on behalf of employees are considered taxable fringe benefits in the employees’ hands. In turn, paragraph 12D(2) of the Seventh Schedule stipulates that if the employer contributes towards a fund […]
What constitutes a dividend?
Although there are several exclusions to the general rule, South Africa applies a withholding tax on dividends declared by companies at a rate of 20%. It is essential to appreciate that such a withholding obligation for companies do not arise only on “ordinary” dividends but that the concept of what constitutes a dividend, goes much wider. The Income Tax […]
Home office expenses: Do I qualify?
Tax practitioners have been inundated with queries from clients on the possible relief offered by the South African Revenue Service (“SARS”) on the possibility of deducting from their taxable income home office expenses due to the shift in working policies by many employers. SARS recently hosted a webinar on the matter (the summary of which […]
What happens when debt is waived?
Many natural persons or trust shareholders in companies are confronted with the unintended tax consequences of owing an amount on a loan account to the company in which they hold those shares. These tax consequences specifically relate to the “deemed dividend” which arises on interest-free loans (related to so-called “debit loans” in companies). In many cases, there is no intention to ever repay the […]
Exchange gains and losses: Telkom loses court battle
The Supreme Court of Appeal (“SCA”) delivered judgement on 25 March 2020 in a matter that primarily deals with gains or losses caused by foreign exchange fluctuations. Key to the debate was the interpretation of statutes and specifically whether section 24I of the Income Tax Act (which regulates foreign exchange gains and losses) is a self-standing […]
Asset for share transactions and taxes
Many business transactions are concluded in terms of section 42 of the Income Tax Act. This section essentially allows a transfer of an asset by a person to a company, in exchange for equity shares in that company, allowing for a tax neutral transaction. The South African Revenue Service has recently issued Binding Private Ruling […]
The taxing of capital gain
Section 9HA of the Income Tax Act deals with deemed disposals by a deceased person. This section of the Act often causes some confusion, especially where there are heirs or legatees other than the surviving spouse. In terms of the provision, a deceased person is treated as having disposed of his or her assets at the date of death, for an amount received or accrued equal to […]
To deduct or not to deduct?
Section 24C of the Income Tax Act[1] (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) allows a deduction, from income, received by or accrued to a taxpayer in terms of any contract, to finance future expenditure which will be incurred by the taxpayer in fulfilling its obligations in the performance of such contract. On 3 December 2019, the […]