Top tax tips for small businesses in South Africa

January may begin with resolutions for the year ahead – but March begins with Tax Resolutions for the next tax year. We promise ourselves to be a little more organised, a little more prudent and try to minimise our contributions the next time around.

BusinessTech recently said that with the many challenges small business owners face every day, being tax compliant is often not at the top of the list and tax deadlines often come and go in the struggle of trying to keep the business afloat.

The single, sole proprietor often goes it alone, not realising that business tax returns are far more complicated than individual returns.

Research conducted by TaxTim shows that 58% of small businesses do not get professional help when submitting their annual tax returns. In fact, only 13% handed the role over to an outsourced professional.

Marc Sevitz, co-founder and CFO of the online tax return tool TaxTim, says that SMEs do not have one standard deadline for submission to SARS. SMEs must complete their annual tax returns within 12 months of the end of their financial year, which can be any time from January to December.

If this is ringing a familiar bell with you, then here are some top tax tips!

Use the correct rates for depreciation

If your business owns assets that devalue over time, be sure to use the correct wear and tear rate from SARS’ list of different asset types. For example, computers depreciate at a different rate to vehicles. Also, check whether your business qualifies for the Small Business Corporation or Section 12C Manufacturing Assets special wear and tear allowance.

Know all the allowed deductions

There are numerous deductions and allowances available to SMEs. It is in your best interest to familiarise yourself with them to ensure you never pay more tax for your business than necessary. For example, a business can claim an allowance for a building that it owns, or special tax deductions for leased assets.

Provide properly for provisions

Remember that accounting provisions are treated differently for tax purposes. Ensure you reverse the Provision for Leave Pay and Provision for Employee Bonuses in your business’s tax calculation as these are only deductible for tax once they’ve been paid.

Record every cent earned or spent

Whilst it may sound like an administrative headache, keeping an accurate and up-to-date record of your business’s income and expenses, allocated to their various categories, is critical to ensuring a smooth tax return. The nature and size of your business will determine whether you’d want to look at investing in an accounting software or package, or if a basic spreadsheet record will suffice.

Keep all your slips

Keep all documents relating to income and expenses, such as invoices and receipts, and file them in a logical order. Should SARS request verification on your business’s tax return, you’ll easily be able to supply these. Scrambling around to find slips from the past year can easily be avoided.

Make copies of documents

It’s best to keep both a hard copy and electronic version of documents. Scanned copies can be stored online using cloud services like Google Drive or Dropbox, which ensures they’re safe, even if the originals get lost or if your computer is damaged or stolen.

Store documents for five years

Don’t toss away your documents once you’ve filed your business tax return. Legislation requires that SMEs keep all relevant documents for a minimum of five years. SARS may request a review of previous tax returns and you don’t want to be missing vital documents that impact your business’s tax liability.

Small businesses play a crucial role in the strength of our economy and the future of our country. Let’s keep supporting SMEs where ever we can!

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Budget 2017 – A quick precis

The Budget for 2017 has been presented to parliament and is awaiting final approval, but if all goes through as planned, here are some key issues that may affect your financial planning for the year – as well as your investment portfolio.

Significant announcements

New 45% tax rate for those earning more than R1.5 million per annum. (Around 100 000 taxpayers are affected)
Dividend withholding tax increased from 15% to 20% (this will have an impact on your investments)
No increases in VAT or Capital Gains Tax (great news on no change to CGT)

Tax changes

Government will raise an additional R28 billion during the new tax year
New 45% marginal tax rate for those earning more than R1.5 million per annum
Other taxpayers will not receive full relief from fiscal drag – the impact of inflation on tax brackets
Tax on dividends increase from 15% to 20%. (Tim let me show you how to get this down from 20% to ZERO)
Taxes on fuel to rise by 39c a litre. (Fuel levy +30c and RAF levy +9c)
Total fuel levy on petrol will amount to 36% of pump price
Total fuel levy on diesel will amount 40.2% of pump price
Properties sold for less than R900 000 will not pay transfer duties (2016: from R750 000)
Sugar tax: Will be implemented once parliament passes legislation
Carbon tax: Revised legislation will be published mid-2017 for public consultation

Sin taxes

Duties on malt beer rises by 9% or 12c to R1,47 per 340ml can
Duty on unfortified wine rises by 8,8% or 30c to R3,61 per liter
Duty on fortified wine rises by 6,1% or 35c to R6,17 per liter
Duty on sparkling wine rises by 8,8% or 93c to R11,46 per liter
Duties on ciders and alcoholic fruit beverages rise by 9% or 12c to R1,47 per 340ml can
Duty on spirits rises by 8.5% or R4,43 to R56,50 per 750ml bottle
Duty on cigarettes rise by 8% or R1,06 to R14,30 a packet of 20s
Duty on cigars rise by 9,5% or R6,58 to R75,86 per 23g

These are some significant announcements but are simply a snapshot of the whole presentation. If you want more information, visit The National Treasury website here.

Organize your life – Part 1

Some people are amazingly good at bringing order to chaos and organizing their lives in such a way that makes the rest of us simply stand and gawk, thinking ‘How do they do it?’.

Finding just the right amount of order in your life will not only help you minimise waste – but it will also help you reduce stress!

When you can find what you’re looking for, quickly and easily, you will have more time to be creative and work on projects that will help you grow, but you also won’t need to go out and ‘buy another one’…

There are so many great ideas on the web – but here are some of them from 100+ Ideas:

USE ONLINE GROCERY SHOPPING

Think about it: do some clicking in the comfort of your own home at night; select your delivery option – and it’s done. The groceries magically appear – you (and your family) don’t even have to get into your car.

Most of the local online grocery options also enable you to order previously purchased products, keeping a list of your popular items – making it quicker and easier to top up your fridge and pantry each time you log on to your account.

USE HANGING SHOE HOLDERS

Whether it’s behind the bathroom door for extra toiletries and medicines, hanging inside the broom closet with your detergents or in the garage with tools, paints, chemicals and odds and ends – these simple, ridiculously cheap, organizers can be hidden away and hung almost anywhere discreet and give you considerably more shelf space – and allow you to see the full scope of what you have.

You’ll never buy too much jik, or lose your spare razor blades again!

USE A TASK SCHEDULER THAT IS DIFFERENT TO YOUR EMAILS

This is a goodie for your work ethic!

When you’re trying to be super productive at work, nothing is more disruptive than an email coming through that is asking you to ‘quickly’ do something. It breaks your creative work flow, slows you down and increases your stress levels.

Many of us allow our emails, texts or phones to govern our task scheduling. We start off the day with one project in mind – and then if a message comes through, instead of prioritising and scheduling it for later, we deal with it now because we know that if we close that message… we might forget.

Having a task programme that is separate to your emails, allows you to transfer requests, schedule them and stick to the job at hand. And you won’t miss a beat.

The power of positivity and a good plan

Have you ever told yourself, “When I have more money, I’ll be happier”? How about, “I’ll never be able to pay off this debt”? These sort of toxic money thoughts are holding you back from financial success – and happiness! A good financial plan needs to be attainable and measurable, those expressions are neither.

The first step to a financial plan is both the hardest and the easiest – it’s the starting point. The point where you measure how deep you are so that you can calculate what you need to do to get where you want to be. Measuring your budget is usually a huge relief for most people, your finances are no longer a mystical figure floating in the ether, you have defined an attainable and measurable goal.

You need to rescript your brain into thinking positive and actionable thoughts. Here are some tips to help you along your way:

Get good advice
Getting good advice and being reminded that what we want to achieve IS attainable does wonders for an attitude of success. However, you will also need to keep your end-goal in mind.

A good way to do this is to pick out a positive phrase that acts as a sort of rule-of-thumb. For example, “Is this [potential purchase] better than a family vacation / new car / bigger apartment?”

Don’t Rush
One study showed that the farther away a goal seems, and the less sure we are about when it will happen, the more likely we are to give up. Consistency is key.

Use numbers and dates to measure WHEN you want to achieve your goals by. And work out some smaller, short-term goals along the way that will reap quicker results. Paying off debts or saving a certain amount, for example, can leave you with a great feeling of pride and accomplishment. This increases the likelihood of you keeping up your good financial habits.

Dig in your heels
Not next week. Not when you get a raise. Not next year. Get started today – and don’t let up!

Need some good advice? That’s why I’m here. Let’s get in touch!

South Africans lack confidence when it comes to finances

Most South African consumers feel challenged by their finances, with relatively few saying that they are highly successful at sticking to their financial goals or are knowledgeable about financial matters.

This was revealed when the Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa (FPI) conducted a nationwide survey, in conjunction with the Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) and a global research firm (GfK), to determine South African citizen’s financial attitude compared to that of the average global citizen.

Both primary and shared household financial decision-makers were surveyed, 19,000 participants from 19 countries around the world, the results revealed the following key findings with regards to South Africa:

Consumers have moderate to low confidence when it comes to their finances.
Only 27% feel strongly confident when it comes to their “financial know-how”, or feel highly successful about sticking to their financial strategies. While 38% of the respondents were strongly confident that they will achieve their financial goals. These figures are higher than their respective global averages, but still aren’t promising.

Home ownership and support for loved ones are top financial priorities.
Home ownership and providing financial support for loved ones were the top financial priorities of South Africans. Other predominant priorities included being free of major debt, retiring in their desired lifestyle and managing finances to achieve life goals.

Financial planning services help to get on track financially.
South African consumers stated that the most helpful financial advice services they received were for retirement planning, budgeting, cash flow, debt management and investment planning.

Most consumers think financial planning should be regulated.
While 43% of respondents in South Africa are unsure whether financial planning is regulated (vs. 41% globally), 67% believe it’s important for financial planning to be regulated, compared to 79% globally.

Trustworthiness is the biggest issue when working with financial professionals.
87% of South African respondents believe that trustworthiness is the biggest barrier when it comes to working with a financial planner. Surprisingly, 70% said they don’t know whom to trust when it comes to financial planning even though they saw it as an important consideration.

Working with a CFP® professional helps consumers feel more knowledgeable about financial matters.
In South Africa, 37% of consumers who work with a CFP® professional report feeling strongly confident in their financial know-how. 29% of consumers who work with any financial professional feel this confident and only 25% who don’t work with any financial professional feel this confident.

It is easy to lack confidence when you don’t feel that you have the “financial know-how”. It is also easy to be overconfident. What it comes down to is not only financial knowledge, but understanding - that’s what I’m here for. I will take you through the necessary processes to formulate achievable financial goals and make you feel financially confident again!

Retail Distribution Review – Prepare for advice fees

For the first time in South Africa, financial advice is set to become a billable service. Known as the Retail Distribution Review (RDR), the first phase will be implemented later this year (2016), introducing some significant changes for both consumers and financial advisors alike.

As with all change, some sound preparation and a positive outlook will make for a smoother adjustment. One of the main changes in mindset is to accept that making direct payment for financial advice is fast becoming a reality.

RDR forms part of the Financial Services Board’s (FSB) framework that seeks to ensure fair outcomes to customers and tries to minimise potential conflicts between the interests of customers, product providers and advisors.

It is important for consumers to be aware that charging direct payment will be in place of commission based fees, which many consumers don’t generally think of as payment for advice.

Consumers are likely to face various different methods of charging by advisors. They could be billed at an hourly rate, just as they are billed when they consult a lawyer or a medical professional. Alternatively, they could be charged per consultation session or be billed a fee that is linked as a percentage to the size of the investment, similarly to the way a real estate agent would operate.

Customers pay for an advisor’s time, trust and relationship and quantifying these essential elements is found in every point of contact between myself and you - this is partly why I manage a website and newsletter that are dedicated to staying in touch with you.

We will all need to understand that fees are just a different way of paying for all that myself and my team offers. The FSB believes that the RDR will form a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Another 5 Financial Reflections for 2016

Looking forward to another year of financial success means embracing monetary mistakes of the past. More importantly, you need to be honest with yourself about where you currently are and where you want to be.

Here are another 5 Financial Reflections from 2015, for 2016:

Don’t let yourself be pressured into buying designer goods
Branding is such a huge part of the modern consumer society, yet there are generic products that deliver exactly the same level of quality. Buying high-ticket items might make you feel good about yourself in the short term, but in the long run your frugality makes more sense.

Learn to say you’re broke when you are
There is no shame in admitting this, especially when you consider how many people are living above their financial comfort level on credit. If your friends want to go to an expensive restaurant, don’t be afraid to suggest a bring-and-braai at your place rather; or delay the excursion until you have sufficient cash flow available.

Make the most of what you’ve got
Scavenge your wardrobe, some of the clothes that you haven’t been wearing are probably still in good nick. Check to see what you have before rushing off and buying new stuff. Fix things that are broken, reupholster, add a fresh coat of paint, and if all else fails look for second-hand bargains.

We live in a throw-away culture, avoid ostentatious display and appreciate the small things in life.

Be honest with yourself about wasting money
You can easily lose hundreds of rands on buying coffee every morning, going to convenience stores regularly and not eating the food in your fridge before it goes off. These are avoidable expenses that don’t need to be completely eradicated but can definitely be reduced.

By lowering your costs on daily commutes, meals, conveniences and personal luxuries you could quickly accrue a sizeable emergency fund.

Only use credit for emergencies
First, you need to consider what you define as an emergency. A malfunctioning gearbox, a burst water heater, a sudden visit to the doctor’s office. Once you start buying everyday items, such as groceries, on credit there should be warning lights going off in your head. Don’t think of credit card limits and overdraft limits as your money, it’s the bank's money that you’re using and it’s best not to forget it.

Turn your reflections into resolutions and forge a firm financial future for 2016.

In need of financial advice? I can help you out. Let’s get in touch!

Source: fin24