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 […]
Sweet tax breaks for diabetics
SARS provides individuals with two types of medical rebates. The first rebate is known as the section 6A rebate which is calculated in terms of your contribution to a medical aid scheme. The second rebate is the section 6B rebate which provides higher rebates to individuals with a qualifying disability. SARS accepts diabetes as a […]
The 2019 Tax Season is here
The 2019 tax season officially started on 1 July 2019. Different filing periods apply, depending on the way a taxpayer chooses to submit their return: Taxpayers who use e-filing to submit their returns have from 1 July 2019 until 4 December 2019. Provisional taxpayers have until 31 January 2020. Taxpayers who prefer to […]
Taxpayers’ right to have disputes resolved
In a recent Tax Court decision[1], the Tax Court confirmed that taxpayers have a right to have their disputes resolved in a court of law as enunciated in section 34 of the Constitution. However, they cannot rely on this right when they are using delaying tactics to prevent the matter from being heard. In […]
Company tax in South Africa
If you are self-employed or a business owner, you have to pay company tax in South Africa. How much business tax you pay and what deductions you can claim will depend on the size and type of your business. What is company tax? Company tax (also called, “corporate income tax”) is what keeps our economy functional. […]