Five Payroll Mistakes New Businesses Make
For new business owners in South Africa, launching an enterprise is an exciting milestone. However, once you hire your first employee, you step directly into one of the most heavily regulated environments in South Africa’s commercial landscape. A common trap for start-up founders and small business owners is viewing payroll simply as “paying salaries at […]
Proactive Tax Planning for South African Businesses: Stop Reacting, Start Leading
Most business owners only think about tax planning when SARS assessments arrive, or a provisional tax deadlineis looming. By then, it’s often too late to make meaningful changes. Proactive tax planning is about keeping an eye on your numbers, income, and expenses throughout the year, so you can make smart decisions before SARS deadlines arrive. […]
Confusion Around Foreign Retirement Lump Sums
SARS issued two Binding Private Rulings (BPR 421 and BPR 422) on 26 November 2025, both dealing with South African tax residents receiving lump sums from foreign retirement funds. At face value, the scenarios appear almost identical. Yet, the tax outcomes differ significantly. One possibility is that the two BPRs were drafted by separate members […]
Declaring Too Much Income to SARS?
It sounds crazy, but it happens more often than one would think… Many a taxpayer has experienced the wrath of SARS when failing to declare all of their income. The penalties for non-declaration of income are severe—up to 200% of the tax evaded as a consequence of not declaring an amount that is taxable. But […]
General principles for tax deductions
When can you deduct an expense? Section 11(a) contains the general principles One of the most-asked tax questions goes along the lines of “can I deduct xxx against my income?” There are two ways to answer this type of question. One is to create a never-ending list of every type of deduction one could contemplate, […]
Bribes, penalties, and fines: Don’t expect help from SARS
The meeting went on longer than you expected, and now you’re rushing to get to your next appointment. It’s a new client, and a successful deal will be lucrative both for your company and this month’s commission cheque. But not five minutes after you get onto the freeway, some plod with a hairdryer in his […]
Submit your return on time, or face penalties
Non-residents and earners of foreign income are also receiving extra attention this year The tax season for the 2022 tax year has just started, and it will be one of the shortest to date. The period to submit tax returns opened on 1 July 2022 and runs to 24 October 2022 for individual taxpayers who […]
Is your disclosure “voluntary”?
In December 2021, the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) handed down a judgment dismissing an appeal against a decision of the Tax Court. The issue before the SCA was whether the South African Revenue Services (SARS) was correct in rejecting Purveyors South Africa Mine Services (Pty) Ltd’s (Purveyors) Voluntary Disclosure Programme application (VDP application) for […]
What to do after discovering fraud in your business
Anyone who’s ever had the misfortune to fall prey to credit card fraud, knows that it’s a huge hassle. If you’re running a business, you should be aware that your business may be at an even greater risk of having its financial data compromised, which can have much more serious implications compared to that of […]
ETI schemes: SARS rules
In a Binding Private Ruling issued on 6 July 2021, SARS has made strict ruling on an Employment Tax Incentive Act (ETI) scheme that has been doing the rounds. It is not often that negative rulings get published and it is therefore a unique situation that should serve as a warning to those participating in […]