Lifestyle audits were initiated by SARS back in 2007, however actual action earnestly began only a few years ago with the arrival of SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter. These audits are conducted when SARS suspects that the taxpayer is not declaring all his or her income and thus is underpaying the factual tax due.
Anyone who acquires citizenship in another country will automatically lose their South African citizenship. This includes all rights and privileges associated with being a South African citizen, including losing your right to a South African passport, one’s right to vote, etc.
As emigration by skilled South Africans rises, experts in the auditing and insurance sectors have warned this will weaken the country’s skills base and reduce the pool of wealthy individuals, whose spending on goods and services support many businesses.
Verklaar die bates ten volle, of SAID kan groot boetes hef.
As if the distress of losing a loved one was not enough, the process of winding up their estate immediately following their death can prove overwhelming to a grieving family. But if they cannot promptly produce the legally required information, that critical source of funds may remain frozen much longer than necessary.
Expatriate taxpayers awaiting approval of their non-resident status may be surprised to discover that SARS can track their flights into and out of South Africa.
SARS introduced its Tax Non-Resident Confirmation letter in 2021, and it now appears that emigrated taxpayers, whose residency status was previously disclosed to SARS as non-resident, are now finding their status has been reset to ‘resident’. This may possibly have been due to a bug, or one arm not speaking to the other, when SARS […]
This past Monday, the South African Institute of Taxation held an industry leading event in collaboration with Tax Consulting SA and Standard Bank, which lifted the veil on SARS’ plans for the taxation of High Wealth Individuals (HWI) in South Africa and the legality of certain offshore structures.
A momentous event, held on 22 August 2022, drew a massive audience, comprising many well-known high net worth VIPs, senior SARS officials and officials from other African Revenue Authorities, tax heads in various capacities, top wealth managers, academics and other notable attendees.
The South African Revenue Service’s (“SARS”) focus on South Africans abroad was first revealed in the 2017 Budget Speech. Their reasons were only revealed in the pursuant Parliamentary debate, where in the Q&A session it was shared that National Treasury and SARS had been keeping a close eye on expatriate tax compliance.