Tag: tax planning

In today’s complex financial landscape, business owners need more than just insurance policies. Business owners need the comprehensive, unbiased advice that can only come from an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) to create a holistic financial plan. It is important to understand the distinction between a ‘tied agent’ and an IFA.

Expatriate tax is complex, intricate and can be challenging to understand – especially if one does not have the basics, such as what is an expat, down pat. Simply, an expatriate, or expat, is an individual who has relocated from their home country to another, either temporarily or permanently.

The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has been hinting at introducing a wealthy individual “specific asset” disclosure for some time – and it is finally here! As of the commencement of the 2023 Tax filing season, individuals holding assets valued at R50 million or more now need to provide a “high level” disclosure to SARS.

The investment landscape has changed profoundly over the past decade, making it easier than ever for individuals to take control of their own investment portfolios. It’s a simple matter for nearly anyone to trade shares via their online banking platform, for example, or to access a range of funds and products from an online stockbroker or wealth management firm.

With the effective date of 01 March 2020 for the ‘expat tax’ drawing closer, South African expatriates, their employers and tax advisors have little time to come to grips with the impact that this tax policy and law change will have on them personally.

The saying goes that we should pay Caesar what he is due and not what he demands. To achieve this in tax planning, estate planners use donations as one of the ways in which to effectively and legally help individuals reduce the taxable values of their estates. Donations of up to R100,000 per year can be used to reduce estate duty.

In fact, this aversion to the loss of money is so significant it has become the subject of a substantial number of studies. The 'pain' that is felt when people lose money is stronger than the 'joy' of a gain. And it is even more pronounced when a person has worked hard to build their capital base, often through diligent behaviour and determination, over many years – possibly even a lifetime.

In this feature, we take a look at wealth creation and the protection of high net-worth individuals (HNWI) assets. With so many financial products available both locally and internationally how does one know what to invest in, when to invest and how much of one’s assets should be allocated to a particular investment product?