Unicus Tax Articles - Unicus Tax Specialists South Africa

August 26, 2019October 7, 2020

TAX TIPS – SECTION 24C

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Upfront payments are common in many industries but especially in construction and manufacturing. These upfront payments often defray costs that will be incurred over more than one tax year. The trouble from a tax perspective is that the full upfront payment is taxable with deductions to be incurred in following years not being deductible. That is unless the taxpayer qualifies for an allowance for future expenditure in terms of section 24C. Section 24C allows qualifying taxpayers to effectively claim expenses to be incurred in a next tax year in the year that the payment is received so that ultimately, the...

August 26, 2019October 7, 2020

TAX TIP – LESSOR’S WEAR AND TEAR ALLOWANCE

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By Nico TheronIn Tax Tips

Taxpayers who let certain assets may qualify for a wear and tear deduction in respect of that asset. Under certain circumstances, the wear and tear deductible in respect of those assets are effectively limited to the rental income generated from that asset. Lessors should therefore be mindful of the applicable tax legislation governing wear and tear deductions on assets under lease to ensure that excess wear and tear is not deducted as doing so will expose the taxpayer to a wide range of penalties which could be as high as 200%. By way of example: A taxpayer who lets a...

June 27, 2019October 7, 2020

TAX TIP: R&D APPROVAL AFTER TAX RETURN SUBMISSION

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By Nico TheronIn Corporate Tax, Tax Tips

To claim a deduction of 150% under section 11D of the Act, the taxpayer needs approval from the Minister of Science and Technology. Without the approval, the deduction cannot be claimed under section 11D. It often happens in practice, however, that approval is granted only after the taxpayer’s year of assessment for which the deduction is sought and after the tax return for that year has been submitted. In these cases, taxpayers are allowed to request SARS to allow the deduction in the year of assessment to which the expenditure relates under section 11D(20) of the Act. In fact, a...

June 27, 2019October 8, 2020

TAX LAW IN ACTION: TAX REFUNDS

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By Nico TheronIn Tax Law in Action

Tax Refunds A taxpayer was assessed to a refund (corporate income tax) in respect of its 2017 year of assessment in the amount of roughly R8m and in respect of its 2018 year of assessment in the amount of roughly R6m. The 2018 year of assessment was under audit. The 2017 refund came about in a reduced assessment consequent upon a successful dispute process. SARS refused to release the 2017 refund on the basis of the 2018 audit. The taxpayer formally requested the 2017 refund. This was rejected by SARS on the basis of the ongoing 2018 audit. The approach...

June 27, 2019October 8, 2020

KNOW YOUR ENEMY

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By Nico TheronIn Articles, Objections

Sun Tzu, author of the Art of War, was a Chinese General who is credited with imparting the wisdom of “knowing your enemy”. According to General Tzu, “if you know the enemy and yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles”. In our experience, this rings true thousands of years after the general’s death in the context of battles with SARS also. Whilst SARS should perhaps not properly be classified as “the enemy” they can, in the case of a tax dispute, be properly classified as “the opponent”. So then, what should you know about SARS as...

June 18, 2019October 8, 2020

TAX TIPS – WHAT IF SARS MAKES A DECISION AGAINST YOU AND YOU CANNOT OBJECT?

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By Nico TheronIn Tax Tips

SARS is afforded a discretion in the various tax acts which impower them to make decisions. Not all of these decisions are subject to objection and appeal. Examples include: A decision not to issue a reduced assessment in terms of section 93 of the TAA A decision not to issue a tax clearance certificate/pin; A decision not to grant suspension of payment pending objection and appeal; A decision not to grant VDP relief; and A decision to disallow an objection. The list above is not exhaustive and can go on for pages. If you are not happy with the decision...

June 18, 2019October 8, 2020

Tax Law in Action – Employers’ Tax Obligations

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By Nico TheronIn Tax Law in Action

It unfortunately often happens that employers do not comply with their employees’ tax obligations. Typically these employers do not issue IRP5’s, often leaving the employee in a precarious position when he/she needs to file their tax returns. What to do? Simply put, the employee needs to declare his/her salary on the tax return and for most part, it appears SARS is not too worried about that. The problems normally start when the employee wants SARS to take into account employees’ tax withheld by the employer (bear in mind that only disclosing the nett amount paid to the employee would constitute...