Who Gets to Tax Your Retirement Benefits?
Navigating double taxation agreements in retirement planning. Cross-border retirement planning raises difficult tax questions. This article unpacks how double taxation agreements (DTAs) shape the taxation of lump sums and annuities, and the steps advisors can take to help preserve clients’ retirement benefits. For South Africans who have built their careers locally but now live abroad, […]
Rethinking Investing in an Age of Uncertainty
Focus on fundamentals, not forecasts. For much of the last century, investment success was often linked to foresight. The prevailing belief was that skilled investors could anticipate market cycles, economic inflection points, and policy shifts to stay ahead of the curve. However, that paradigm is shifting. Today, markets are no longer guided solely by fundamentals […]
How Market Dislocation Benefits Active Investors
This isn’t just another market cycle; it’s a structural shake-up. I think it’s safe to say that there’s no modern precedent for the current level of global disruption. The pace of change, from retaliatory tariffs to shifting alliances and conflicting official statements, has been unrelenting. Market volatility has returned, coming in sustained waves across asset […]
The ‘Big Three’ Tax Worries (Part 3): Property
Rounding up our series on the three main worries for taxpayers, we discuss property. So, you now know how to claim your car expenses on your tax return, and are reasonably confident that you can now manage your share investments without incurring the wrath of SARS. But the one thing that really keeps you awake […]
Smart Approaches to Trading Stock Valuation
GAAP / IFRS determines the accounting treatment, with tax largely following suit. Valuing your trading stock, also known as inventory, is a critical aspect of financial accounting and business management—not to mention tax compliance. Accurate valuation of inventory ensures that a company’s financial statements present a true and fair view of its financial position, directly […]
Have a Little R.E.S.P.E.C.T for My Wishes
Your will gives you the final say – even after you’re gone. A Michigan court has ruled that a handwritten document from 2014 is Aretha Franklin’s valid last will and testament after the Queen of Soul passed away without a formal will in 2018. This follows a year-long court battle between her sons to determine […]
The ‘Big Three’ Tax Worries (Part 2): Shares
In the second part of this series, we focus on shares. If claiming against our car allowances is the number one thing that keeps us awake at night as taxpayers, then the fear of SARS lying in wait to lay their grubby paws on the slightest gain that we make on our share investments must […]
Set-Off of Assessed Losses, and Ring-Fencing
Unless you’re at the 45% marginal tax rate, most losses can be set off against other income. If a person is not at the maximum marginal tax rate, can they opt to have their taxable loss from their sideline business, e.g. bookkeeping, offset against the taxable income from normal employment (on which they pay PAYE) […]
The ‘Big Three’ Tax Worries (part 1): Cars
What keeps taxpayers awake at night? Judging by the many questions that I’ve been asked as a tax practitioner over the years, there is a definite ‘Big Three’ when it comes to problems that cause taxpayers sleepless nights: cars, shares, and property. The tax treatment of these three items probably causes more anxiety, and has […]
How SARS Holds Individuals Accountable with Lifestyle Audits
When it comes to tracking down tax-dodgers, SARS has the tools, the people, and the will. Tax evasion and illicit financial flows are two areas that have long undermined economic growth in South Africa and public trust in governance. To counter these challenges, SARS has increasingly leaned on a controversial but effective tool—the lifestyle audit. […]