Tag: Webber Wentzel

The indirect taxation of cross-border e-commerce transactions have been high on the agenda for tax authorities worldwide. There is clearly a perception that much of these transactions are escaping indirect tax (essentially VAT) because the supplier and consumer are in different jurisdictions.

Whenever you think about gambling you usually imagine yourself hitting the jackpot at a slot machine in the casino. However, what if gambling covered more than just a chance at winning a tangible prize? Does South African law recognise the possibility of gambling for virtual-items?

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has challenged the inclusivity of the Section 189(1) provisions of the Labour Relations Act, arguing retrenchments are so important that everyone needs to be consulted individually. But in our view, Section 189(1) is the most practical solution and in line with the principle of majoritarianism that runs throughout SA law.

2018 was a watershed year in many respects for private equity in Africa. In the wake of the Abraaj collapse and other market fluctuations, we will in 2019 likely see significant shifts in the industry, with key changes to all stakeholders’ strategies expected to emerge.

International commercial arbitration and international investment treaty arbitration both offer effective and efficient alternative dispute resolution mechanism to assist with Africa mining related disputes and avoid some of the downsides often associated with judicial resolve.

Rapid advances in technology and artificial intelligence in the mining industry raise issues like data protection, intellectual property ownership and legal liability. In the current absence of specific legislation to govern emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, businesses must continue to rely on existing laws and ensure that they enter into robust contracts.

The draft Conduct of Financial Institutions Bill was recently published. Once enacted, the CoFI Bill may become one of the first pieces of legislation that explicitly seeks to develop fintech regulation in South Africa.

Achieving Mining Charter III’s requirements for structuring broad-based ownership, local procurement and social and labour plans is likely to present serious challenges for small scale miners in particular. It may be time to move away from a 'one size fits all' approach in setting charter targets.

On 23 November 2018, the Labour Laws Amendment Bill was signed into law. The Bill provides a minimum period of leave entitlement to employees who are fathers, adoptive parents and parents in a surrogate motherhood agreement, amending the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) and the Unemployment Insurance Act (UIF).

The taxation of real estate investment trusts (REITs) was discussed at the recent National Treasury Workshop on the 2018 draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, held on 4 September 2018, in Midrand. The correct tax treatment of certain anomalies, including the taxing of commercial lease deposits, was raised.