SARS

Budget 2021: Your Tax Tables and Tax Calculator

Individuals and Special Trusts will see some relief from the Budget 2021 proposals, and to help you quantify that, and as a convenient reminder of the various other taxes that remain unchanged, we share both the official SARS Tax Tables and a link to Fin 24’s Budget Calculator (just follow the four-step process to do your own calculation).

The Tax Tables cover Individuals, Special Trusts and Trusts, Companies, Small Business Corporations, Turnover Tax for Micro Businesses and Transfer Duty. Click on the links below each Table for the full SARS “Budget Tax Guide 2021.

How much will you be paying in income tax, petrol and sin taxes? Use Fin 24’s four-step Budget Calculator here to find out.

Have a look at the tax tables below for the new Individual and Special Trust income tax brackets, and for a convenient reminder of the various other taxes that remain unchanged –

(Source: SARS )

(Source: SARS )

(Source: SARS )

Fraudsters are Everywhere: Cybercrime up 667% since Lockdown  

It didn’t take the online fraudsters long to realise that the coronavirus lockdown has opened up a whole new avenue of opportunity for them.  

Malware, phishing and ransomware attacks are surging, and schemes offering some form of financial relief are particularly evident. All forms of online communication including emails, SMSes and Social Media posts should be treated with caution. 

We share tips on how to protect yourself and your business in these dangerous times, with news on some of the more common scams going around and a link to the latest examples identified by SARS. 

There has been a surge in internet scams over the past three months – from malware, phishing and ransomware to obtaining your log-in details. 

Take extra precautions such as dual authorisations for payment, carefully validate new beneficiaries and get your IT staff or consultants to regularly check that no malware is loaded onto your IT platforms. 

Recently, SMSes were being sent out from the “Public Investment Corporation (PIC)”, promising money from a “Business Personal Relief Fund”. If you replied, you got an approval letter and money was promised once you paid a “handling fee”. If you Google the PIC, there is no mention of Covid-19 relief money.  

SARS have reported scams whereby taxpayers get messages from “SARS” about their income tax return or about an audit on the taxpayer or asking for missing documents and you are asked to disclose confidential information in your reply to “SARS”. See some examples of the latest scams on the SARS “Scams and Phishing Attacks” page. 

There are other scams involving Transnet. 

Treat emails, SMSes, and Social Media with caution, particularly if you get offered some form of relief. 

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)

Tax Season 2020 will be Easier Thanks to SARS’ New Approach!

SARS has announced changes to this year’s tax filing season, driven partly by its ongoing innovation program and partly by the Covid-19 pandemic. Whilst as author Margaret Mitchell pointed out there never is a convenient time for “death, taxes and childbirth”, SARS’ new changes offer time-saving benefits to taxpayers, and it is important to understand how they will impact on us in practice. 

To that end we set out how Tax Season 2020 is now split into three time frames. We discuss each of them, with additional insight into the “auto assessment” notices that will be sent via SMS. 

We end with a table conveniently summarising the deadlines. 

Death, taxes, and childbirth! There’s never any convenient time for any of them” (Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind)  

This year’s tax season will unfold in a different manner to previous years. These changes have been driven by ongoing innovation at SARS and by the Covid19 pandemic. 

The tax season is split into three time frames: 

 April 15 to May 31 

This is the period when employers submit their reconciliation of employee earnings and all third party information providers (providers of interest certificates, medical aid certificates, retirement earnings are three examples) send their certificates to SARS and the relevant individuals. 

All of the above had to be with SARS by the end of May. 

SARS have used this time to verify information from the National Population Register, the Deeds Office and the Companies’ Register.  

As all of this information becomes available, SARS have begun populating individuals’ tax returns. 

June 1 to August 31 

Taxpayers need to ensure that all their information is up to date and accurate – for example, if they have moved, they need to reflect their new address on eFiling.  Taxpayers should also be testing their eFiling usernames and passwords and ensuring they can communicate electronically with SARS. They should also verify that all third party information is correct. 

SARS will be following up on third party information, checking it for accuracy. In cases where SARS finds substantial non-compliance, they may lay criminal charges against third party information providers (including employers).  

Auto Assessments 

During this period SARS will issue a large number of taxpayers with auto assessment notices via sms and taxpayers need to check theiron SARS eFiling or SARS MobiApp and indicate to SARS if they accept the assessment outcome. Where the taxpayer accepts the outcome of the auto-assessment, the taxpayer will not be required to submit a return. 

The auto assessment process will take a significant amount of work out of the tax season – many taxpayers benefit by not needing to submit a return and SARS do not need to assist that many people in SARS branches plus they save much admin work.  

SARS will notify taxpayers whose third party data is compliant that they may file early i.e. before September 1. 

September 1 to January 31 

SARS will issue a public notice to confirm which taxpayers need to submit a return. 

Those taxpayers who file manually at a SARS branch must do so by October 22. Taxpayers must make an appointment online to see an assessor and need to arrive on time for their meeting with a reference number SMSed to them by SARS. Due to the impact of Covid19, these appointment rules by SARS will be rigidly enforced.    

Non-provisional taxpayers who file electronically have until November 16 to submit their tax return on SARS eFiling. 

Provisional taxpayers who complete their return electronically must do so on or by January 31, 2021.    

To summarise due dates:  

TAX SEASON 2020 DEADLINES 

Type of Taxpayer  Channel  Due Date 
Non-provisional and provisional taxpayers  Manually at a SARS Branch  22 October 2020 
Non-provisional taxpayers  File electronically  16 November 2020 
Provisional taxpayers  File electronically  31 January 2021 


Although there will be the inevitable teething problems with the new approach, it offers time saving for both taxpayers and SARS.
 

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)

Life Made Easier (and Safer) For Non-eFilers

When SARS have requested documentation from taxpayers who do not use eFiling, the taxpayers have had to take these documents into a SARS Branch. Now SARS have launched on online form that taxpayers can complete and upload with the documentation requested by SARS. 

The online form can take ten documents which need to be 5MB or less in size.  

The process is very simple, and taxpayers merely need to follow the instructions set out.  

As a trip to SARS can take a full morning, this is a time saver for taxpayers and is safer as taxpayers are less at risk of catching COVID-19.

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)

Be Ready for a SARS Lifestyle Audit 

Being suddenly subjected to a SARS “Lifestyle Audit” is a nerve wracking business with the risk of penalties of up to 200%, backdated interest, and criminal prosecution.  

What external sources of information does SARS have access to? How does SARS select targets for lifestyle audit? If you are unlucky enough to be selected, what will happen and how can you be prepared? Can you refuse to co-operate and/or demand access to information from SARS before complying? 

We address those questions and discuss a High Court decision in which an individual faced the imprisonment for failing to answer a lifestyle questionnaire.  

We read about Eskom staff having to undergo lifestyle audits so that corruption can be identified and stamped out.  

SARS have been conducting lifestyle audits since 2007. These audits are conducted when SARS suspects that the taxpayer is not declaring all his or her income and thus is underpaying tax due. 

SARS have access to many sources of information  

Data can be accessed from: 

  • Your banks 
  • The Deeds Office for property transactions 
  • Financial institutions for mortgage loans or motor vehicle finance 
  • Vehicle registrations 
  • Social and other media where your lifestyle can be ascertained 
  • Perhaps most significantly jealous neighbours or “friends” who tip off SARS that your lifestyle exceeds the purported income you earn (SARS actively encourage people to tip them off when they think people they know are living beyond their means).  

How do SARS select people for lifestyle audits?  

SARS does not disclose the criteria it uses to start probing taxpayer’s affairs or how it selects those who have to complete a lifestyle audit. If you are selected, you have to complete the audit in the time set out by SARS.  

One individual selected demanded to know the reasons why he was picked, and refused to complete the 26 page “lifestyle questionnaire” sent to him by SARS (seemingly after a ‘third party’ tip off). He had never registered as a taxpayer, nor had he ever submitted tax returns. The matter went to the High Court which rejected the individual’s right to demand “SARS confidential information” and ordered him to provide the information required by SARS, on pain of committal to prison for contempt of court until he submitted the lifestyle questionnaire. 

What to expect if you are selected 

You will need to provide details of day to day living expenses including rent or bond payments, groceries, entertainment, vehicle expenses, holidays – in fact every item of cost you and people related to you incur. These will be reconciled to bank statements. In addition, SARS will probe all sources of your income. 

In doing this process SARS can request information going back five years. If you don’t have the necessary documentation to justify income or expenditure, then SARS can levy taxes on these amounts. Keep good records 

It pays to be honest and as thorough as possible when completing this process. As noted above SARS have many sources of information to check the data provided by you. 

The bad news 

If a taxpayer has been under-declaring income or cannot justify expenses that have been claimed, then SARS will issue assessments for these amounts. Penalties of up to 200%, plus interest may be levied by SARS who can also report the taxpayer to the National Prosecuting Authority for potential criminal proceedings. The only bit of good news is that SARS do not use search and seizure operations when conducting lifestyle audits – these are for criminal cases that SARS pursues. 

Lifestyle audits are nerve racking and risky for taxpayers. Keep good records and consult your accountant before submitting information to SARS.  

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)

COVID-19 Lockdown: Relief Programs for Businesses and SMMEs

The National Lockdown, due to end on 16 April, presents businesses of all sizes with an unprecedented set of existential challenges.

Of course sooner or later this crisis will end, but for now it is a case of survival for many businesses, and particularly for those smaller enterprises forced now to close for 21 days.

Don’t despair, help is at hand! We list the various relief initiatives announced to date. The list will change, as will the details of and processes for accessing each initiative, but be aware of, and take advantage of, the assistance that is out there – or will be out there shortly.

The President, telling the nation that “We will prioritise the lives and livelihoods of our people above all else, and will use all of the measures that are within our power to protect them from the economic consequences of this pandemic”, has announced a variety of initiatives to assist SMMEs (Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises) that will need assistance in surviving the three week lockdown and economic disruptions flowing from the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Please note these are new initiatives, so expect delays, changes to schemes, new proposals and differing interpretations.  Everyone’s patience will be tested!

Some of the announced measures discussed below still need to be enacted and may be different when they are finalized.  Expect ongoing changes and keep Googling for ongoing lists of proposed and implemented avenues of business relief.

1st: UIF Money

The UIF has an estimated surplus of R180 billion and this is the logical first port of call when looking at incentives, especially as money given by the UIF is not a loan, and thus doesn’t have to be repaid. There are two routes to access this money – using the traditional UIF method (National Disaster Benefit) or making use of the new Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) which is discussed below.

For either method, the employer must be registered with the UIF and be making monthly contributions. If you are behind on contributions, you can pay in any backlog you have.

National Disaster Benefit

  1. Temporary shut down
    If the employer temporarily shuts down the business, then the UIF will pay out R3 500 per employee per month for up to three months.

    • Requirements:
      • A letter from the employer confirming the operation is temporarily closing down due to the coronavirus
      • A copy of the employee’s ID
    • Forms to be Completed:
      • UI19 and UI12.7 (employer to complete)
      • 1 – application form
      • 8 – Confirmation of bank account
  1. Reduced work time
    The payout is the difference between what the employer pays and UIF benefits.

    • Forms to be Completed:
      • UI19 and UI2.7 (completed by Employer)
      • UI 2.1 (application)
      • UI 2.8 (bank form completed by the bank)
      • A letter from the Employer confirming Reduced Work Time is due to the coronavirus
      • Copy of ID document
  1. Quarantine and illness
    In cases where employees are put in isolation for 14 days or more.

    • Requirements:
      • Letters from the employer and employee that the person is in quarantine. No medical certificate is needed
      • If the quarantine is longer than 14 days, a certificate is required from the employee’s doctor, along with the form UI3
    • Forms to be Completed:
      • UI19 and UI2.7 (completed by Employer)
      • 2 (a portion of which is completed by the Doctor)
      • UI 2.8 (bank form completed by the bank)
      • Copy of ID document
  1. Death benefits
    If the employee dies, the UIF will pay the funds to beneficiaries.

    • Forms to be Completed:
      • UI19 and UI 53 (completed by the Employer)
      • UI 2.5 or UI2.6 (deceased application)
      • Death Certificate
      • ID of deceased and applicant
      • UI 2.8 (bank form completed by the bank)
      • Copy of ID document

You can also download the UIF’s “Easy-Aid Guide for Employers” here.

Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS)

This applies to businesses who temporarily shut down – a three-month period is envisioned but this could be extended. The UIF then pays salaries to all staff, based on the current UIF pay outs – a maximum of R6 731 p.m. for staff earning R17 162 or more down to the minimum wage of R3 500.

There is quite a bit of documentation here – send an email to Covid19ters@labour.gov.za and you will get the forms to be completed and other requirements needed.

A Memorandum of Agreement is signed and the employer submits (in the required format) a spreadsheet of employee details and salary, proof of payment of the last 3 months’ salaries, bank confirmation of the applicable bank account.

You will need to open a separate bank account for this and prove each month that all staff have been paid.

There is quite a bit of work here and getting the forms accurate will prevent delays in payment.

Which of the two schemes to choose from depends on your business – there is some crossover, for example, quarantined employees can claim under the National Disaster Benefit (see Quarantine and Illness). On the face of it, TERS looks more lucrative but it is very admin intensive in setting up, and as a new scheme it may be subject to teething problems. Ask your accountant for advice in doubt.

2nd: The Department of Small Business Development (DSBD)

R500 million has been set aside to help SMMEs due to the impact of the coronavirus. The money will be in the form of loans at prime less 5%. Assistance falls into two categories:

  • Business Growth/ Resilience Facility: This applies to businesses whose products are aligned to helping to combat the pandemic. Examples are making hand sanitisers, medical protective clothing, medical supplies etc. SMME logistics companies may also apply for funding.Funding will cover bridging finance, asset finance, stock and working capital needs.
  • Debt Relief Fund: Companies will need to show how the coronavirus has impacted on their business. The relief focuses on purchase of stock and other operating needs. Funds will be released based on the company’s cash flow requirements.

The starting point is to register on the DSBD’s portal (www.smmesa.gov.za) – the registration entails staff breakdown between males and females, the number of youth employees and racial classification of staff. There is also a section on who owns the business and annual turnover. The business needs to be 100% South African owned and the work force is to be 70% local.

The DSBD is setting up an SMME database which will be used in future interventions.

Once registered follow the application process which opens on 2 April. How much each business gets is still unclear.

Call the DSBD’s hotline 0860 663 7867 or email info@dsbd.gov.za to check what kind of government support you qualify for.

3rd: Department of Trade and Industry

R3 billion assistance has been set aside with a main focus on providing funding to “vulnerable” businesses and to provide financing help to companies involved in the battle to roll back the coronavirus. It’s not that dissimilar to the DSBD’s approach but it serves all business, not just SMMEs. Of the R3 billion, R500 million will be for importing needed medical products and R700 million will be for financing equipment and working capital requirements. Guidelines as to how to apply are forthcoming.

4th: The Solidarity Fund

This has been set up with R150 million from the government (www.solidarityfund.co.za) and it is designed to help stop and detect the virus, look after the people with it, plus help those people who are vulnerable as a result of the coronavirus. Mary Oppenheimer has pledged R1 billion to this fund and Naspers has committed R500 million.

You may wish to donate to the fund or apply for help for struggling staff members.

5th: Private and Corporate Funds

The Rupert and Oppenheimer families and the Motsepe Foundation, have each pledged R1 billion. Motsepe’s money will go towards helping poor communities fight the coronavirus by supplying them with hand sanitisers etc. The Ruperts’ and Oppenheimers’ funds will be to help struggling small businesses and employees, as a result of the coronavirus. In addition, Naspers has pledged R1.5 billion (in addition to the R500 million to the Solidarity Fund) to source medical supplies and protective equipment, from China, for health care workers.  .

The Rupert funds will be disbursed by Business Partners and application forms will soon be released – although details are not yet available, the money will be a loan.

The Oppenheimer money will be paid out from the “South Africa Future Trust” through the major four banks in the form of a five-year interest free loan – for details see SAFT’s website. SMMEs will apply to their bank which will then pay salaries directly into employees’ bank accounts. No liability will be incurred by employees – the business will be liable for repayment. Speak to your bank manager for how to apply – the system begins operating on 3 April.

Details on the Motsepe and Naspers disbursements are still outstanding.

6th: SARS Relief Measures

  • The Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) has been extended to include all staff earning less than R6 500 per month from ages 18 to 65 – they will qualify for an additional R500 per month which can be claimed via the monthly PAYE return.

All staff members currently receiving ETI benefits will get an additional R500 per month.

These measures will apply for four months from April to July this year. The ETI has been paying out twice a year but this will now be monthly.

  • Tax compliant companies with turnover of less than R50 million will be able to hold back 20% of their PAYE payments and a portion of their provisional tax payments, as follows:
    • The business must be tax compliant and using eFiling.
    • PAYE returns due May 7, June 7, July 7 and August 7, you only pay 80% of your PAYE liability
    • From September 7 and for the next five PAYE returns, the 20% reduction is to be paid back in equal amounts e.g. if you received a R30 000 reduction in PAYE for the months April to July, then you will repay an additional R5 000 each month on your PAYE return.
    • Provisional Tax payments due from April 1 to September 30:
      • The first payment at 15% of the estimated tax liability
      • The second payment at 65% of estimated tax liability (i.e. 50% is due on the second payment)
      • In your top up payment you will be required to pay your full tax liability.

Note: the above applies to companies – measures for individuals will be announced later.

7th: Competition Act amendments re banks and retail tenants

The Competition Act has been amended to allow banks to work together to come up with solutions to help indebted companies and people. The major banks have announced cash flow relief measures – these will have to be repaid. Speak to your bank for more details and see a summary of bank-by-bank relief as announced to date here.

The Competition Act has also been relaxed to allow retail tenants to get together and present a unified negotiating position to landlords in the areas of evictions, rental discounts and rental “holidays”. This is already happening with “active” negotiation and demands between retail landlords and tenants.

8th: Tourism sector relief

A R200 million fund has been set up to help SMMEs in the tourism sector (Read “COVID-19 interventions for the tourism sector” here).

It applies to SMMEs with R2.5 Million or less. 70% of pay outs will be to Black owned Businesses with a bias towards rural areas.

9th: Other

The CIPC have extended the deadline for submission of the Annual Return, if you are required to submit during the lockdown process to April 30.

Government is considering suspending employers and employees UIF contributions and employer payments to the Skills Development Fund.

To date most businesses are reportedly finding that Business Interruption Insurance claims are not being considered by insurance companies.

Expect more initiatives to emerge as we move deeper into the coronavirus crisis. How much these measures will cushion the shock to the economy is unknown. They are, considering how little fiscal space there is, a creative and welcome attempt to help business and people affected by the lockdown and other restrictions. Nevertheless, the economy is virtually certain to enter a deep recession, particularly following the downgrade by Moody’s on March 27.

Remember we are facing desperate times and the nation, led by President Ramaphosa, has shown courage and determination in facing down the coronavirus.

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)

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

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)