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.