Tax advisory & opinions
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The Flagship Service
Know Before You Commit, Not After
Most expensive tax problems are not caused by dishonesty. They are caused by a decision taken without knowing what the tax treatment would be. A property is sold, a business is restructured, a loan account is written off, shares are issued to a family trust, and the tax consequence only becomes visible when the assessment arrives eighteen months later.
Specialist tax advisory work exists to move that moment forward. It establishes the tax treatment before the transaction is concluded, while there is still room to structure it differently, and while the cost of getting it right is a fraction of the cost of fixing it afterwards.
When Specialist Advice Is Worth Obtaining:
- Selling a business shares or assets
- Restructuring a group or holding company
- Disposing of an inherited or trust-held property
- Receiving a retirement lump sum or severance payment
- Settling assets into a trust
- Issuing shares or implementing a share scheme
- Writing off or restructuring a loan account
- Earning income offshore, or in more than one country
A tax opinion is a written document that sets out the facts of a specific transaction, identifies the provisions of tax legislation that apply, applies them to the facts, and reaches a reasoned conclusion. It is not a general note on the law it is an analysis of your circumstances.
A properly prepared opinion gives you a documented basis for the position you have taken. If SARS later queries the treatment, the reasoning already exists, recorded at the time, grounded in the legislation. In certain circumstances, it can also be relevant to whether an understatement penalty is imposed.
How This Started
How an Advisory Engagement Runs
Answers to what taxpayers ask us most often. A starting point, not advice on your own position.
Establishing the facts
Agreements, financial statements, trust deeds and prior assessments are reviewed. The facts are frequently not quite what the taxpayer initially describes.
Identifying the provisions that apply
Relevant sections of the Income Tax Act, VAT Act, or Tax Administration Act, together with case law and SARS interpretation notes. Genuine uncertainty is stated plainly, not papered over.
Applying the law to your position
Where more than one treatment is defensible, each is set out with its relative risk, so the decision is taken with the risk understood.
Written delivery and discussion
Delivered in writing and then discussed, so you understand the reasoning, not just the conclusion.
Your Questions Answered
Common Questions
Answers to what taxpayers ask us most often. A starting point, not advice on your own position.
It depends on the complexity of the facts and how quickly documentation is provided. We give an indication of timing once we've seen the underlying documents.
Yes. If the treatment you were hoping for isn't supportable, you'll be told so directly.
Yes. The options are narrower, but establishing the correct treatment and preparing for a possible query is often the difference between a manageable outcome and a serious one.
Know the Position First
Facing a transaction, restructure, or disputed treatment? The cheapest time to deal with it is now. Tell us the position.