Expenses Must Be Intended to Produce Taxable Income
To successfully deduct an expense, there must be a link to earning taxable income. Section 11(a) of the Income Tax Act, the so-called ‘general deduction formula’, seems to have produced more court cases than virtually any other Section of the Act. And each time, the courts tell us the same thing: In order for you […]
Is a Logbook Really Necessary?
Or can SARS use code 3702 to audit potential business kilometres travelled? I have often wondered whether SARS officials thoroughly review the submitted logbooks when taxpayers claim for travel expenses incurred as a result of business travel, or are these requested just to tick a box This uncertainty has recently been rresolved—SARS audits the logbooks […]
General principles for tax deductions
When can you deduct an expense? Section 11(a) contains the general principles One of the most-asked tax questions goes along the lines of “can I deduct xxx against my income?” There are two ways to answer this type of question. One is to create a never-ending list of every type of deduction one could contemplate, […]
More time to benefit from the learnership tax incentive
The Learnership Tax Incentive, which was introduced in the Income Tax Act on 1 October 2001, is a programme that supports skills intensity through the tax system. To encourage skills development and job creation, the Learnership Tax Incentive provides employers with an additional tax deduction over and above the normal deduction on remuneration. The additional […]
DEDUCTION FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS
Section 12B(1) and (2) of the Income Tax Act[1] provides for a 50/30/20 income tax deduction in respect of certain machinery or plant owned by the taxpayer and which was or is brought into use for the first time by that taxpayer, for the purpose of his or her trade to be used by that […]