tax-deductible

Tax deductible expenses for businesses in South Africa

by with No Comment Business TipsMoney TalksSavingsTax

Do you know the saying that says “money makes the world go round”? Well, so does tax – it makes the country go round. We have a couple of blogs that explain the tax system in South Africa, which we will link down below for you. In this blog, specifically, we will share with you various tax-deductible expenses in your business to help you lower your taxes. 

For context’s sake, TAX DEDUCTIBLE is an item you can subtract from your taxable income to lower the amount of taxes you owe. Let’s suppose you earned R100,000 during the tax year and spent R20,000 on company items. In this example, your taxable business income would be R80,000 instead of R100,000, lowering your tax bill for the year.

Day-to-day business expenses

These are general day-to-day office or business expenses, they are incurred as part of running your business, these include:

  • Employee costs and administration costs
  • Business/office rental costs
  • Office supplies
  • Phone costs
  • Travel and transport, including business vehicle costs
  • Uniforms (if needed)
  • Wholesale purchase costs for goods resold
  • Financial charges (such as bank fees), utilities
  • Legal fees
  • Insurance fees
  • Marketing, advertising, and promotion costs

Wear–and tear (in respect of certain assets)

Also known as depreciation, a wear and tear allowance may be deducted on movable assets used for the purpose of trade. There are no statutory provisions relating to rates of wear and tear, but the SARS has published a table of periods over which the assets may be written off. The rates of wear and tear, based on the cash cost, are calculated either according to the straight-line or diminishing-balance method.

Donations (to approved bodies)

Donations to certain charitable organizations approved as public benefit organizations are tax-deductible, up to a maximum of 10% of taxable income.

Bad debts

Bad debts are tax-deductible if they are owed at the end of the assessment year and they relate to an amount that has been included in the taxpayer’s taxable income in any tax year. Regarding questionable debts, a tax deduction is also offered.

If the loan was made as part of a money-lending business, any bad debts that result from it are deductible.

Education expenses

You can deduct the cost of schooling for yourself or your employees that are directly related to running your firm as a business expense.

Net operating losses

Any losses incurred in the same business in previous years can be carried forward as a tax deduction.

Bonus:

According to SARS, here are some deductions your employees can save from: 

Tax-deductible expenses for Salaries:

Pension fund contributions

Retirement annuity fund contributions

Provident fund contributions (only from 1 March 2016)

Legal costs – under certain qualifying circumstances

Repayable amounts – amount received for services rendered as refunded by that person

If you need any help with TAXES, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us:

Call: 0615238833Email: info@accasesolutions.co.za

South-Africa-tax

How the tax system works in South Africa | 2022

by with No Comment Business TipsMoney TalksTax

With everything, you first have to understand the most basic things. Tax is simply a compulsory contribution to state revenue that every South African working citizen and business must pay. Non-South African residents are taxed on South African-sourced income. The majority of the state’s income is derived from income tax (personal and company tax).

Every year, the Minister of Finance presents the Budget, which outlines the total government expenditure for the following financial year and the ways in which this expenditure will be financed. Which we recently had on the 23rd of February 2022. See below:

This tax money pays for public goods and services, but it is also key in the social contract between citizens and the economy. Paying taxes fosters economic growth and development. 

Understanding taxes: types, filing for returns, refunds from SARS:

There are many different types of taxes. Just to mention a few, some include:

  1. Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
  2. Personal Income Tax
  3. Provisional Tax
  4. Capital Gains Tax
  5. Value Added Tax

An example: 

Ordinary taxpayers are the people who earn a salary from an employer. The employer deducts Pay As You Earn (PAYE) from their salary monthly and pays that to SARS on their behalf. Here’s an example of how Net Income will look like after taxes: 

Filing for tax returns

Income tax returns must be requested by registered taxpayers every year. The year of assessment for individuals covers 12 months, beginning on 1 March and ending on the final day of February the following year. Tax returns must be submitted to SARS on the date given, please note that SARS tax returns and CIPC tax returns are two different things and must be filed separately to both organizations respectively. 

Companies are required to submit an income tax return within 12 months from the date on which their financial year ends. People whose income comes from sources other than a wage  – such as a trade, profession or investments and companies – are required to submit two provisional tax returns and where applicable make two provisional tax payments during the course of the tax year and may opt for a third “topping-up” payment six months after the end of the tax year. – Source: SARS. 

You can submit tax returns yourself, or hire a certified and registered tax practitioner to file your returns on your behalf. Here are some things to consider when picking the best accountant/tax personnel for your business 👇

As per Tax Administration Act no. 28 of 2011, every person who provides advice to another with respect to the application of tax principles or assists with any tax matters for a fee must:

✅ Be registered with a Recognized Controlling Body that’s registered with SARS. 

✅ Be qualified.

✅ Undergo examination to evaluate their ability to competently perform functions of a tax practitioner

✅ Engage in continuing professional development.

Accase Solutions, for instance, is registered with the IAC, Institute of Accounting and Commerce as a Certified Tax Practitioner since the registration of Accase Solutions, practicing under practitioner number PR0100503.

Why SARS issues refunds:

If for instance, you take unpaid leave at work, the payroll administrator has to adjust your tax therein. If the adjustment is not made, it means that your company deducted more tax as it was based on a wrong annual income. In this case, SARS is liable to give you a refund.

The whole point of filing for tax returns is for SARS to determine all your taxes, and if you have paid, they conclude on the right amount. If you have overpaid them, they will definitely give you your money back. Understand that, you only get a refund IF you have overpaid because you filed for returns.

If you want a breakdown/in-depth understanding of different types of taxes, please refer to this blog: https://accasesolutions.co.za/2021/03/29/important-things-to-know-about-tax-in-south-africa/