When it comes to divorce, the law governing the Government Employee Pension Fund ("GEPF") has been ruled unconstitutional by the Western Cape High Court.

By 2014,Government could start the implementation of a national retirement scheme,based on recent announcements in the Budget Speech.

Governments are using austerity measures to battle the downturn. Families are tightening their belts. But for businesses there are five simple ways to save costs and grow even during economic turmoil.

Last week, the amendments to the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) came into effect. The new amended Act gives the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the power to cherry-pick certain sectors and products within the South African economy for special privileges

The Voluntary Disclosure Programme (VDP) expired on 31 October 2011. This program allowed taxpayers who voluntarily disclosed certain defaults to SARS to be granted relief from additional taxes, penalties and interest

The Tax Administration Bill 11 of 2011 may face constitutional challenges should it be promulgated in its current form.The Bill gives SARS much wider powers, impacts on taxpayers’ rights andcontains provisions that could affect taxpayers’ rights to hold a passport, to travel and to trade.

According to US economist Walter Williams, a simple definition of "economic freedom” (more generally known as "a free market”), is "voluntary exchange between individuals free of third party intervention”. This is certainly not what the ANC Youth League mean in their declaration that "7 cardinal pillars of economic freedom in our lifetime are identified as the most vital components of the immediate tasks and functions to be pursued in the consolidation of real and sustainable economic transformation”.

What is economic freedom in plain language and in newspeak? It has such a well-established and universally acknowledged meaning in that anyone who predicted a few months ago that it would be used to connote its opposite and be taken seriously would have been asked what they were smoking.

The Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, emphasised in the 2011 Budget speech that the Government’s aim is to put development first and not dependence on welfare – training our youth to become pioneers in industry will accelerate the creation of employment in the future.

Five years ago, attractive Research and Development (R&D) income tax allowances were made available to those taxpayers that conducted research or were involved in devising, developing or creating any invention, design or computer program. In terms of section 11D of the Income Tax Act, taxpayers who were involved in R&D could claim a 150 percent allowance on expenditure (excluding capital expenditure) actually incurred by such taxpayers directly in respect of activities undertaken in the Republic.