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Provisional Income Tax Due 26 February: Do’s and Don’ts for Companies

14/02/2021 14/05/2021

By the end of this month, the second provisional income tax payments for companies are due for a financial year that certainly ranks among the most difficult in recent memory – a year in which many business owners realised, as Thomas Dewar once put it, that paying income tax is in fact better than being unable to generate sufficient income to be liable for tax. As companies face intensified scrutiny and more punitive measures from SARS in 2021, we take a look at the issues around the provisional tax payments for companies, due on 26 February to find out what companies should – and should not – be doing to minimise their tax liability and to avoid the hefty penalties and interest that can apply.

“The only thing that hurts more than paying an income tax is not having [an income on which] to pay an income tax” (Thomas Dewar)

Provisional tax is not a separate tax but rather a method of payment used to collect in advance some of a taxpayer’s income tax payable for the year. SARS calls it “an advance payment of a taxpayer’s normal tax liability” and notes in its External Guide for Provisional Tax that provisional tax liability “will prevent a large amount of tax due by you on assessment, as your tax liability will have been spread over a period of time prior to the issue of such assessment”.

Two provisional tax payments are compulsory each year, one six months into the year of assessment (first period) and one on or before the end of the year of assessment (second period). There is also an option to make an additional third or top-up payment, seven months after the end of the year of assessment – unless your year end is anything other than end of February in which event you have only six months for the top-up payment (third period).

Provisional Tax Periods – Examples

*Adapted from SARS’ External Guide for Provisional Tax*

The provisional return for the first period is forward-looking, requiring companies to estimate their taxable income for the year ahead and then paying tax on this estimate in advance.

The provisional return for the second period is retrospective, since by the year end there is more certainty regarding what exactly the income for the year was, and the tax payable thereon.

While provisional tax payments spread a corporate taxpayer’s income tax liability over two or even three payments, it also increases a company’s tax risk. It creates additional tax filing obligations such as completing and submitting a provisional tax return (IRP 6) twice per year, as well as increasing the risk of attracting penalties, notably underestimation penalties. Furthermore, researchers have found that provisional tax is the most burdensome tax for small businesses, and that penalties and interest incorrectly raised by SARS are the most onerous aspect thereof.

Given that taxpayers will find themselves under greater scrutiny and subject to more punitive measures from SARS in 2021, here are some important insights regarding what companies should – and should not – be doing to minimise their provisional tax liability and to avoid the hefty penalties and interest that can apply.

Provisional Tax – Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t file late

A provisional return must be submitted by all provisional taxpayers. Even if your company owes no tax, a ‘nil’ return (i.e. taxable income is equal to zero)must be filed on time.

For companies with a financial year ending on 28 February 2021, the next due date for provisional tax returns and payments is 26 February 2021, as the last day for submission (28 February) falls on a weekend.

Also remember that if an IRP6 is filed more than four months after the deadline, SARS considers a ‘nil’ return to have been submitted. Unless the company’s actual taxable income is really zero, it will result in the underestimation penalty being imposed, in addition to a late payment penalty and interest.

Don’t pay late

The failure to make payment on time will result in an immediate late payment penalty, calculated at 10% of the provisional tax amount, whether it is not paid or simply paid late. For example, if the amount payable is R150,000 and is not received by SARS on the due date, a R15,000 penalty will become due immediately.

Furthermore, interest will be levied on the outstanding amount and will continue to accrue until it has been paid in full. The interest is calculated at the prescribed rate, which is the rate of interest fixed by the Minister of Finance by notice in the Government Gazette and is currently 7% – the lowest in 40 years.

Don’t under-estimate your annual income

Estimating the annual taxable income just six months into the year is rarely an easy task. Fortunately, under-estimating income for the first period does not attract a penalty, but the second estimate must be quite accurate (within 80 – 90% of the actual taxable income) to avoid the underestimation penalty.

The underestimation penalty is calculated depending on the taxable income, and the percentage of under-estimation as detailed in the table below.

Underestimation penalties

Interest will also be levied on the underpayment of provisional tax as a result of under estimation.

Do be proactive

To avoid an underestimation penalty and interest, it is crucial to take proactively all the necessary steps to correctly calculate the estimated taxable income for the year of assessment.

Make certain that all sources of income are included. The estimated taxable income means gross income less exempt income plus all amounts included or deemed to be included in taxable income under the Act, for example, the amount of taxable capital gains.

Ensure that all rebates and amounts allowed to be deducted or set off are also factored in, including provisional payments already made for the year.

Also make sure, if you claimed for COVID-19 provisional tax relief, that the company qualifies before factoring in this cash flow relief and ensure such relief is calculated correctly.

Government’s temporary provisional tax relief measures came into effect in April 2020 and allowed qualifying taxpayers to defer a portion of the payment of their first and second provisional tax liability to SARS, without SARS imposing administrative penalties and interest on the deferred amounts.

Example – COVID-19 Provisional Tax Relief

Claiming this provisional tax relief while not meeting the qualifying requirements would result in normal penalties and interest being applied to the provisional account.

Do maintain common sense and accurate records

A relatively accurate estimate of taxable income for the year of assessment is expected for the second period. As SARS says: ‘the calculation must be one which has been carefully considered and is thoughtful, earnest and sincere…” and the amount of the estimate must be determined “sensibly and by careful reasoning and judgment, in a mathematical manner, and using experience, common sense and all available information”.

Keep accurate records of all the calculations and source documents used.
SARS may ask you to justify your estimate and can increase it if they are dissatisfied with the amount. The increase of the estimate is not subject to an objection or appeal.

Do call in professional assistance

The provisions of the sub-sections of Section 89 and of the 4th Schedule to the Income Tax Act are daunting and can be confusing. Nevertheless, provisional taxpayers are ultimately responsible for their tax affairs and may therefore need expert tax advice to comply with the regulations and to avoid substantial penalties and interest.

Companies with complicated returns, including various sources of income or expenses, should consider engaging a CA(SA) tax specialist to assist them in preparing and/or reviewing their income tax return prior to submission to avoid issues which may be raised by SARS at a later date. Similarly, where penalties and interest have already been imposed and levied, taxpayers may need expert assistance to successfully make a request for the remission of penalties and interest to SARS.

Companies: How to Manage Your Greater Tax Risk in 2021

19/01/2021 14/05/2021

South African companies are exposed to a significant tax risk. Companies are liable for a range of direct taxes, indirect taxes and employees’ taxes that are continuously subject to legislative changes and administrative improvements by SARS and National Treasury. This means not only great complexity and high cost in terms of compliance, but also high tax liabilities that could total 40% of turnover and more. In addition, tax compliance is increasingly becoming a corporate governance and a reputational issue. In this article, we look at recent developments that indicate that tax risk management will become even more critical in 2021; ways in which companies can manage their tax risk more professionally; and the benefits of tax risk management that can help companies re-build after a difficult past year.

If you think compliance is expensive – try non-compliance.” (Paul McNulty, former US Deputy Attorney General)

The extent of corporate taxes – from income tax, employment taxes and value added tax (VAT) to dividend taxes, capital gains taxes, transaction taxes and other indirect taxes – along with the operational aspects such as data and reporting systems and related technicalities, guarantee complexity and time-consuming processes for companies, which in turn increases compliance costs.

This also compounds other tax risks such as under-estimation; underpayments; overpayments; not applying the correct tax savings and incentives; tax penalties – such as the 10% late payment penalty; the inability to meet tax obligations; and assessments and audits.

Compliance costs are another growing tax risk. Studies suggest that companies spend hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of Rands each year on internal tax compliance costs such as labour or time devoted to tax activities and incidental compliance expenses, and on external tax compliance costs like tax practitioners’ fees.

In addition, tax issues can place a company’s reputation and brand at risk. An example would be a company losing a tender on a large contract because it was unable to provide a tax clearance certificate, perhaps due to a technical or minor non-compliance issue. Companies also face the risk that a tax issue could attract negative attention from the media, civil society or competitors, as growing numbers of stakeholders ranging from customers to potential investors increasingly support only companies perceived to be contributing their fair share to the country and community in which it operates.

Why tax risk management will be even more critical in 2021

All these tax risks will be amplified in 2021 for a number of reasons, including increased tax liabilities; intensified taxpayer scrutiny; and the further entrenchment of SARS’ powers.

In the 2020 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni announced government-projected tax increases of R5 billion in 2021/22; R10 billion in 2022/23; R10 billion in 2023/24; and R15 billion in 2024/25. Companies need to factor these tax increases into their future planning and budgeting.

Taxpayers will also find themselves under greater scrutiny and likely to be subject to more punitive measures in 2021. Human errors and simple mistakes, which are not uncommon given the complex processes and strict deadlines involved, stand now to be harshly punished even if unintentional. The Tax Administration Laws Amendment Bill, 2020 (awaiting Presidential signature to become law) provides that for certain tax crimes you can be convicted if you acted either “wilfully or negligently”, where previously proof of wilfulness (intention) was required. This means that a court could find a taxpayer guilty of an offence without proof of wilfulness, so that even inadvertent errors could be penalised with a maximum penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment.

Along the same lines, companies can also expect an increase in the number of tax audits, as well as more detailed, expensive, and time-consuming investigations and audits. These are likely to focus on SMMEs, business owners, trusts and high net worth individuals.

Furthermore, SARS’ already extensive powers – including asset forfeiture powers – continue to be entrenched. Just two examples from recent court rulings illustrate: the Gauteng High Court confirmed a taxpayer’s obligation to be vigilant when filing a tax return and liability for appropriate penalties when falling short of this duty, while a North High Court judgement set an important precedent by re-affirming SARS’ right to liquidate a taxpayer to recover debt where an assessment is under appeal.

How to manage your tax risk

Plan for tax compliance

A well-defined tax strategy, aligned with your overall business strategy and the specific tax challenges facing your business, is important. As the business grows, a re-assessment of the corporate vehicle or tax structure may be required.

Detailed planning is also required for the tax year ahead, providing ample time for processes required for proper record-keeping to ensure tax returns are complete and accurate, and that the numerous tax deadlines can be met.

Planning should also incorporate identifying and implementing relevant tax relief and incentives and assistance. Just one example is turnover tax that provides administrative relief for micro businesses by replacing Income Tax, VAT, Provisional Tax, Capital Gains Tax and Dividends Tax for businesses with a qualifying annual turnover of R1 million or less.

Budget for tax compliance

Proper budgeting is required to ensure all the various tax liabilities can be met before or on the stipulated deadlines, while also factoring in the effect of the annual tax increases announced in the latest Medium-Term Budget Policy.

Companies also need to budget for compliance costs including the internal cost of labour or time devoted to tax activities, incidental expenses, and the resources, systems and continuous upskilling required to meet ever-changing tax obligations. The budget should also provide for external costs such as tax practitioners’ fees; external reviews of the tax function; and even tax risk insurance to cover the cost of immediate expert assistance and support from a team of tax professionals in the case of a SARS’ tax audit.

Call on expert professional services

Given the increase in compliance complexity and costs, the expertise of accounting officers and auditors is vital in determining the taxable income and the amount of tax to be paid.

Advice from a tax professional can ensure an appropriate tax strategy is formulated to proactively manage your tax risk in the long-term, saving time and money and avoiding expensive tax mistakes, while keeping in line with the ever-changing tax obligations.

Be sure to choose a specialist who is appropriately qualified and experienced, as well as a member of a professional controlling body that enforces strict standards, such as SAICA (South African Institute of Chartered Accountants).

Benefits of professional tax risk management

Failure to manage tax risk effectively will negatively impact on an organisation’s profitability. However, beyond managing tax liability, there are further benefits to managing a business’ tax risks. One of these is more accurate records resulting from tax compliance obligations. This improves the availability of up-to-date information and insight into the financial position of the business and its profitability – enabling accurate, timeous financial management which is crucial to business success. In addition, tax compliance has become both a corporate governance and a reputational issue and can create both shareholder value and stakeholder trust. These benefits, along with tightly managed tax liabilities, will certainly assist companies as they build back after the economic upheaval of 2020.

The Five Most Common Tax Pitfalls That Small Business Owners Should Avoid

20/11/2020 14/05/2021

At a time of deep economic recession, small businesses must manage their accounting and tax functions efficiently and smoothly to avoid any unnecessary costs like SARS penalties.

Making elementary mistakes with a small company’s tax affairs can have disastrous and costly effects for a firm’s ability to survive these harsh times.

In this article, we have identified five tax hazards that many small businesses, especially newly established ones, overlook. This situation is because the owners of these companies often do not have tax expertise, or they are unwilling to use a professional to ensure that their tax affairs are shipshape.

Avoid these common tax pitfalls when managing your company’s affairs…

There are five common tax pitfalls that owners of small businesses should look out for and avoid.

These hazards include three value added tax (VAT) issues, one provisional tax matter, and the fifth item deals with the tax implications for owners of small businesses when they draw money from their company.

Failing to avoid these pitfalls can cost small businesses dearly in terms of time, stress, and money, including fines. The cost of sorting out these hazards can even destroy small businesses.

Failure to register for VAT

The first issue is that many owners of small businesses fail to realise that the VAT Act requires that they register for VAT. This requirement becomes necessary once a business has made taxable supplies exceeding R1 million during twelve consecutive months.

Once a small business reaches this threshold, then they need to charge their clients VAT for the goods or services sold. “When small businesses manage their tax affairs, they often neglect to do this because they are not aware of this requirement,” Jean du Toit, head of tax technical for Tax Consulting South Africa.

If it comes to light that a company failed to register for VAT, then SARS could impose penalties, including understatement charges and late payment fines and interest. These penalties will be back dated to when a small company should have been accounting for VAT.

Small businesses can register for VAT with SARS by applying online, and the process is reasonably straightforward and quick but ask for professional help in any doubt.

For micro businesses, it may not initially be viable to register for VAT, as they may be mainly dealing with suppliers and clients of a similar size.

However, the larger a business grows, the more it would lose out on the opportunity to deduct input VAT that they pay over to VAT vendors that supply them with goods and services and so miss out on lower costs. Input VAT is the tax that a VAT vendor can claim back as a deduction from SARS. The output VAT is the tax that a VAT vendor levies on the supply of goods and services and then pays over this tax to SARS.

The advantage of registering for VAT is that it gives a company greater access to business opportunities, including tenders and contract, which usually require a company to have a VAT number.

The only way to rectify the lack of the required VAT registration was to apply for SARS’ Voluntary Disclosure Programme (VDP), Du Toit said. Such a VDP application could see SARS waive any penalties, but it would require the company to pay over the VAT due and interest on late payment of this tax. Ask your accountant to help with any VDP application.

A business can voluntarily register for VAT if over twelve months its income exceeded R50,000. Tertius Troost, a Mazars senior tax consultant, said it might benefit a small business to register voluntarily for VAT if they have many suppliers. But companies must know that there was a cost that went with complying with the VAT Act, he added.

2. Failure to obtain valid tax invoices

The second pitfall relating to VAT was that small business owners often fail to secure valid tax invoices for their VAT input claims, Troost said. Input VAT should have a neutral impact on a company, but if SARS disallows specific claims, then the input VAT becomes a cost, and that will reduce a company’s profitability.

When a small company claimed input VAT from SARS, it was required to keep records, including specific invoices from their suppliers. “If a company’s administration is not up to scratch, they might not have these documents, or these documents may not meet SARS’ requirements as prescribed in the VAT Act. At that point, SARS won’t allow you to claim back your input VAT,” Du Toit added.

Ettiene Retief, FTR Tax and Corporate Administration partner, said that SARS usually focussed on the invoices a company received from its suppliers when reviewing VAT input claims.

The VAT Act specifies that the following details should appear on an invoice for any amount greater than R5000:

The word “tax invoice” or “VAT invoice” or “invoice”,
The name, address, and VAT registration number of the supplier,
The name, address and, where the recipient is a registered vendor, the VAT registration number of the recipient,
The unique number of the invoice, and
An accurate description of the goods or services supplied, and the volume or quantity of goods or services provided.

For invoices of less than R5000, only the supplier’s information needs to be included on the invoice and not the recipient’s details. Here the supplier need not specify the quantity of goods or services supplied.

3. Trying to claim input VAT for the wrong items

The third issue regarding VAT is that small companies often try to claim input VAT on entertainment, petrol, and rental of motor vehicles. But the VAT Act makes it clear that companies cannot claim these expenses for VAT purposes.

If a company bought milk, coffee, and sugar to offer to its clients when they visited, the company could not claim VAT on these items because SARS viewed these as entertainment costs, Retief said. “When I’m in my boardroom, I’m selling my time and the coffee is not part of what I’m selling,” he added. “However, if I own a coffee shop, then I can claim VAT on the coffee beans that I buy,” he added.

If SARS finds that a person or company claimed goods ineligible for VAT purposes, it will reject these claims. In addition, if SARS finds that a person or company has overstated their input VAT, then that means understatement penalties and interest would apply.

4. Misunderstanding about income received in advance

The fourth common issue was that small businesses often forgot that income received in advance was taxable, Du Toit said.

A common area where companies required deposits was for major construction contracts, he added. An advance payment like this was immediately taxable in the hands of the recipient of that money. Retief said that an exception to this rule was when a company was paid a deposit as security.

This knowledge is vital for small businesses when they need to make their provisional tax submissions. SARS requires taxpayers to make these submissions twice a year in February and August.

Small companies had to include income received in advance in their provisional tax disclosure to SARS or face penalties.

5. Implications of drawing money from the business

The fifth prevalent tax issue of which small businesses are often unaware is the tax implications of drawing money from their company through interest-free loans or withdrawals that SARS would deem to be dividends or remuneration. This situation arises with small companies which have a sole director or owner, and he or she makes loans from the company to themselves.

Another problem is that small companies rarely establish a formal loan agreement between the company and the director.

If a company director takes a loan from the company without charging interest, then SARS would view that interest as a dividend in specie paid by the company to the director and the company would have to pay dividends tax on that amount.

Another way that directors of small companies try to avoid paying tax on their remuneration is to have their company issue them with a loan, instead of being paid a salary. “The company should classify the loan as a salary. What often happens is that the director never pays back the loan, or they pay it back slowly over many years to avoid paying income tax,” Du Toit said. “If SARS does a full audit of a company’s books and they see that in substance that loan is not a real loan but a salary, then the agency can reclassify that item, and there will be tax consequences such as penalties and interest,” he added.

Troost said that usually, the most tax-efficient way for a director or owner of a small company to withdraw money from their company was to receive a salary rather than to withdraw money as a dividend or to receive an interest-free loan.

Retief said that owners of small businesses often make withdrawals from their business by paying for personal items. But the problem was that the owner and the company are separate legal entities. Directors of small companies often used this means of withdrawing money from the business to avoid paying tax, he added. “With small businesses, the temptation is not to show a big salary because of the tax is payable on that money,” Retief said.

At the end of the financial year, the company puts payments for personal items through the director’s loan accounts. But it is often difficult to untangle all the transactions and split the personal items from the company transactions, Retief said.

Keep this list of common pitfalls in mind and ask your accountant for advice on your specific circumstances in any doubt.

Your Tax Returns Are Due: Make Sure You Fill In Your Return Correctly

20/01/2020 14/05/2021

The last thing you need is to have the Taxman after you with his armoury of penalties and threats of criminal prosecution; and the likelihood of that happening if you put a foot wrong is higher than ever now with SARS missing its collection targets and pressured to up its game substantially.

So do not take your tax return deadlines – your next one is 31 January if you are a provisional taxpayer using eFiling – lightly!

We share some thoughts on “the need for speed” and on the nightmare scenario that awaits taxpayers who fail to tick the right tick box in the right part of the online form and are as a result deemed guilty of “material non-disclosure”.

“The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax” (Albert Einstein)

Provisional taxpayers using eFiling need to have completed and submitted their 2019 income tax return on or by 31 January.

Make sure you are prepared for this and don’t underestimate the time needed to put the return together. As a starting point you should have a good filing system which makes it easy to find documentation needed to both fill in the return and upload to SARS in terms of supporting schedules.

The income tax return form runs to more than thirty pages, so there is plenty of work to be done – don’t leave it to the last minute!

Your return must be complete

The onus is on you to satisfy SARS that your return is comprehensively and completely filled in. Thus, even if you supply SARS with all the documentation and explanations required, not ticking a box in the form that is applicable can lead to SARS deducing that you have not met your obligation of full disclosure.

This is important as if SARS deems there to be a material non-disclosure in your return (remembering that SARS tends to apply a very narrow interpretation of this) then the three year prescription period for your tax return is waived and SARS can go back and start raising queries on your 2010 return for example. This can put you onto a nightmare road, so take extra care.

We are all aware that SARS has been missing its collection targets in recent years and is under enormous pressure to maximise revenue from taxpayers.

Your accountant is there to assist you – this is a good time to make use of his or her services.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied upon as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your financial adviser for specific and detailed advice. Errors and omissions excepted (E&OE)