National Treasury releases proposed amendments to tax legislation on an annual basis. Some of the most important of these are already foreshadowed when the Minister of Finance delivers his budget speech in Parliament. The proposals made in that Budget Review are then formalised into proposed draft tax legislative amendments in the form of the Draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill and the Draft Tax Administration Laws Amendment Bill.
This year, after the budget speech on 24 February earlier this year, the proposed amendments were released by Treasury on 8 July 2016. We set out below some of the more significant proposed amendments:
- As announced in the budget speech, targeted anti-tax avoidance legislation is introduced as relates to trusts. However, Treasury has opted to retain the conduit pipe principle many feared would disappear, and proposes to target interest free loans made to trusts instead;
- Further refinements to the harmonisation of the tax treatment of withdrawals from pension, provident and retirement annuity funds;
- Repeal of the withholding tax on foreign service fees paid by SA tax residents;
- As a result of the very complex and targeted anti-tax avoidance legislation linked to employee share incentive schemes, almost every year amendments are required to close new tax structures set up to reduce the tax consequences of these reward programmes as they relate to employees. This year is no different with certain targeted new anti-avoidance measures being proposed to the taxation of these schemes upon termination, as well as the taxation of dividends paid out on these shares throughout;
- Significant amendments are introduced to the existing hybrid equity and debt instrument provisions in sections 8E to 8FA of the Income Tax Act, 1962. Most notably, the treatment of interest on subordinated debt as dividends for tax purposes have been addressed as relates to intra-group debt or cross-border debt issued to a South African tax resident;
- Further relaxation of the rules as relates to venture capital companies are proposed to further entice taxpayers to make use of this very beneficial income tax incentive regime;
- The Customs and Excise Act, 1964, is to have its own general anti-avoidance rules introduced as section 119B; and
- A new understatement penalty category is proposed for a transaction to which the general anti-avoidance provisions in the Income Tax Act, 1962, or Value-Added Tax Act, 1991, are applied.
The public is invited to comment on the proposed changes by 8 August 2016. Please contact us should any of the above be of particular relevance to you and should it appear necessary to discuss these prior to these draft bills being passed by Parliament, very probably later this year.
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)
