A recent decision of the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa considered the application of the capital gains article in a double tax convention based on the OECD model to a deemed disposition of property occurring as a result of an “exit tax” imposed on an emigrating corporation. As the Court’s decision concerns capital gains exemption language that is similar to that used in most double tax treaties based on the OECD Model, it provides a helpful glimpse into how such provisions may be interpreted in other jurisdictions, including Canada.
Category: Capital Gains Tax
Conversion of a public company to a private company
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has released a number of binding class and private rulings of late. One of the interesting rulings is Binding Class Ruling 033 (BCR 33) which deals with the capital gains tax consequences for a public company upon conversion, in terms of the Companies Act, No 71 of 2008, to a private company.
company mergers and tax (part 1)
by Robert Gad and Janel Strauss In a series of articles we will consider the relationship between the merger and acquisition rules in the new Companies Act 71 of 2008 (“Companies Act”) read with the relevant provisions of the Income Tax Act 58 of 1962 (“ITA”) and of the new Tax Administration Bill. In this first article we focus on the application of the various tax “rollover” rules to merger and acquisition transactions, in particular with regards to the newly introduced statutory merger. We also consider the general ambit of the new statutory merger and its impact on the administrative tax obligations that the parties involved have in terms of the ITA.
Good intentions gone bad
Many taxpayers have over the years fallen into the trap of waiving a right in favor of a third party without considering the full extent of the tax consequences of their actions. Not only is it necessary for taxpayers to be aware of the potential donations tax implications, but it is also necessary to consider whether any capital gains tax (“CGT”) implications arise as a consequence of their actions.
Capital gains tax relief on certain foreign currency gains
The Draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill, 2011 (Bill), proposes to delete Part XIII from the Eighth Schedule to the Income Tax Act (Act). Part XIII deals with the taxation of realised gains and losses in respect of foreign currency assets and liabilities in monetary form, such as foreign currency or debts in foreign currency. It only applies to persons to whom section 24I of the Act does not apply.
The importance of residence in determining liability for capital gains
The case of TLD Limited v The Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service heard before the Tax Court raises the interesting issue of the interplay between the imposition of capital gains tax in the context of the Eighth Schedule to the Income Tax Act and the application of a Double Tax Agreement.
Capital gains tax and trusts: is there a pipe?
Rene Magritte (1898 – 1967), the Belgian Surrealist artist, painted a smoking pipe and below it the words “Ceci n’est pas une pipe” (“This is not a pipe”). And, of course, the painting of the pipe isn’t a pipe; it is an image of a pipe. In South African tax law (which may also seem surreal at times) there is