With effect from 1 January 2013 transfer duty is no longer payable in respect of a transaction contemplated in item 8 of schedule 1 of the Share Blocks Control Act, No 59 of 1980, whereby a right to or interest in the use of immovable property conferred by virtue of the ownership of a share in a share block company is converted to ownership of the immovable property concerned.
The amendment of s9(19) of the Transfer Duty Act, No 40 of 1949 is contained in s1 of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, No 22 of 2102.
The exemption from payment of transfer duty in such circumstances was previously restricted to a natural person and only applied if the initial acquisition of the share was subject to duty in terms of the Transfer Duty Act. The exemption now applies in respect of any such transaction concluded on or after 1 January 2013 irrespective of whether the holder of the share is a natural or juristic person, and whether or not the transaction relating to the initial acquisition of the share was subject to payment of transfer duty at that time.
The exemption is extended further to include the acquisition by any person of a part of the immovable property of the share block company where that person had a right of use of that part of the property that was conferred on him or her by reason of the ownership of a share held in the share block company.