Tag: treasury

The shift from Johannesburg Interbank Average Rate (JIBAR) to South African Rand Overnight Index Average (ZARONIA) marks a turning point in South Africa's financial landscape. It forms part of a global movement toward more reliable and transparent interest rate benchmarks. However, for businesses, it represents far more than a regulatory change.

The National Treasury’s long-awaited 2026 tax amendment Acts have now been promulgated. These 2026 Tax Amendments introduce a focused set of changes to South Africa’s Value Added Tax (VAT) and Income Tax frameworks. As a result, these amendments carry immediate practical consequences for taxpayers, employers and investors.

This year's national budget was delivered against a more supportive domestic backdrop. Export commodity prices were firmer, energy availability improved and funding pressures eased modestly due to lower government bond deals. In many respects, this was an encouragingly stable budget. It signals that South Africa is steadily moving toward a better fiscal space.

The Gauteng High Court recently dismissed the appeal of Unitrans Holdings (Unitrans) against the Tax Court judgment which had denied a tax deduction for interest incurred. The court found that the interest incurred was not closely connected to Unitrans’ business operations as an investment holding company and that the purpose of the interest was not to produce income but to further the interests of the subsidiaries.