Widespread misconceptions about South African expatriate tax legislation can land taxpayers in hot water with SARS, often resulting from inaccurate information from either tax practitioners or SARS personnel. Nikolas Skafidas Tax Diagnostic Specialist Alex Mahundla Tax Diagnostic Specialist The 3 most common misconceptions expats fall victim to 1. Tax returns: The majority of expatriates declare…
One of the challenges faced by taxpayers who have left South Africa and ceased their South African tax residency has been obtaining objective confirmation of the fact. Ordinarily, this dilemma would require a taxpayer to maintain a preponderance of objective evidence to demonstrate the fact that they are non-resident, and this evidence would generally include…
The number of South African taxpayers working abroad have increased systematically over the last two decades, as did the number of expatriates planning to formalize their emigration. Finding themselves in multiple tax jurisdictions for prolonged periods, expats are either exposed to excessive taxation or they neglect their taxes altogether. The equation is complicated by the…
Expat spouses are likely to accompany their partners when they relocate for work. However, their hopes of also getting work are often dashed because their spousal visas prohibit them from working in that country. They soon find themselves pinned down in a foreign country while their careers are placed on hold. Spouses or life partners…
Following deliberation with members of the public, National Treasury recently released its official response to the Parliamentary submissions on their proposed Draft Tax Bills. Among other things, Treasury noted that they would withdraw a controversial amendment that would have been problematic for South African expatriates contemplating emigration. In July 2021, the Draft Tax Law Amendment…
Expatriates and those with plans to emigrate will be relieved to learn that the proposal to impose an exit tax on retirement interests will be withdrawn. In presenting their Draft Response Document on the 2021 Draft Tax Bills, National Treasury and SARS confirmed that the proposal will not be included in final Taxation Laws Amendment…
National Treasury’s latest published Draft Tax Bills incorporated the contentious additional “exit tax”, which proposed to tax retirement fund interests of individuals when they cease South African tax residency. Various expatriates and stakeholders opposed the draft law bill during Virtual Parliamentary sessions in August this year. However, we have not heard anything back from Treasury,…
The past two years have been a journey into unchartered waters for all, and a particularly tense time as far as South African expatriates are concerned. For many expats, more and more questions have been left unanswered as this filing season, and the tax filing period draws to a close on 23 November. One thing,…
Tax Consulting SA and Xpatweb were exhibitors at the Durban leg of The Emigration Expo. While fielding questions, it was evident that many people are interested in working and living offshore, but they seem unsure where to start. All their questions and concerns can be compiled into three groups. 1. Job offers, visas and permits…
SARS Commissioner Edward Kieswetter introduced Natasha Singh as the first director of SARS’s new specialised segment targeting high net worth individuals. Singh’s appointment is considered as strategically essential in terms of ensuring compliance with affluent individuals who have complex financial arrangements. Deshika Padayachy Expatriate Tax Specialist In order to remain compliant, high net worth taxpayers…
