Improving South African Corporate Margins with Operational Business Audits
Operating a business in South Africa presents a specific set of demanding financial conditions. While the local economy experiences periods of cyclical stabilisation, corporate profit margins remain under constant pressure. Ongoing national infrastructure challenges, fluctuating fuel costs, and sticky operational overheads mean that top-line revenue growth no longer guarantees business survival. Consider a typical mid-sized […]
Your First Year of Self-Employment and Provisional Tax: The Mistakes That Generate Interest
Becoming self-employed changes the way you deal with tax. When you are employed, your employer deducts PAYE from your salary and pays it to SARS on your behalf. You receive your salary after tax, file an annual return, and usually do not have to think much more about it. Self-employment is different. You receive your […]
That SARS Alert Might Not Be Real
Tax season brings a predictable spike in SARS scams. When scrolling through your emails or messages, there’s a good chance a notification claiming to be from SARS is already waiting for you, whether it’s a tax refund you never filed for, or an urgent settlement demand designed to trigger panic. Four types of scams usually […]
SA Payroll and Tax Compliance for Non-Resident Employers
The 2026 Budget sorts out the PAYE anomaly, but is silent on SDL and UIF. A 2023 amendment to Paragraph 2(1)(b) of the Fourth Schedule to the Income Tax Act requires non-resident employers to withhold employees’ tax (PAYE) only where they conduct business in South Africa through a permanent establishment (PE). While this represented an […]
The Two-Pot System Through a Payroll Lens
The Two-Pot Retirement System is often explained as a retirement reform. In practice, it has become a payroll issue. Payroll administrators are no longer just processing contributions. They are responsible for ensuring that contributions are allocated correctly, that reporting aligns with SARS requirements, and that employees understand the tax consequences of decisions they make outside […]
Budget 2026 Explained: Where Taxpayers Gain and Where They Don’t
After last year’s “third-time lucky” Budget, many predicted doom and gloom this year. There was talk of the need for an additional R20 billion of tax hikes – whether in the form of the much-maligned VAT increase proposal rearing its ugly head, or direct personal income tax hikes. That didn’t happen. In presenting his 2026 […]
RA vs TFSA: What Is the Advantage of a Tax-Free Savings Account?
In his Budget Speech, the Minister of Finance announced an increase in the annual tax-free savings account (TFSA) contribution limit from R36,000 to R46,000 – the most significant boost to this allowance in years, and a timely reminder of just how powerful this vehicle can be. When used properly, it can deliver completely tax-free returns […]
Death Is Unavoidable, But Estate Taxes Can Be Planned For
Estate duty is one of those taxes that many people know about in theory, but very few actively plan for. It only becomes real when a loved one passes away and the estate is wound up, often revealing how much value quietly leaks away to taxes, fees, and avoidable inefficiencies. The reality, however, is that […]
The Great Wealth Transfer
A global shift in generational wealth is quietly reshaping the future of financial advice. Over the next two decades, an estimated U$100 trillion in assets will pass from the hands of the baby boomer generation to their children and grandchildren. While this global phenomenon is already well underway in developed markets, South Africa is beginning […]
Double Tax Agreements and Pensions: When Paying Tax Twice Becomes a Reality
As the global workforce becomes increasingly mobile and retirees seek out international destinations for their golden years, the issue of cross-border taxation has grown in importance. One of the most critical tools in managing international tax burdens is the Double Tax Agreement (DTA) – especially in the context of pensions. What is a DTA? A […]
