Monthly SARS Update with Prof Jackie Arendse - August 2026
Duration: 2 hours
Price: R195.00
Monthly SARS Update with Prof Jackie Arendse - August 2026
Presenters : Prof. Jackie Arendse
Overview
The 2026 Filing Season alters the shape of the tax practice: auto-assessment now reaches eligible provisional taxpayers, the ITR12 is rebuilt, and additional third-party data arrives pre-populated, moving the practitioner's task from preparing returns to interrogating the information that SARS already holds. A cluster of recent interpretation notes and VAT rulings completes the picture, redrawing the documentary standards against which zero-rating, employment tax incentive claims and enterprise classification are tested on audit.
Video Content
2026 Filing Season
- Historical income tax assessment notifications issued on eFiling
- Auto-assessment extends to eligible provisional taxpayers
- Additional pre-filled information on the ITR12
- Technical enhancements to the ITR12: residency questions, medical aid selection, partnership expenses, and transaction-level interest and treaty claims
- Section 20A ring-fencing of assessed losses from a marginal rate of 39%
SARS interpretation notes and VAT rulings
- Interpretation Note 31 (Issue 5): documentary proof required for zero-rating
- Interpretation Note 145: the meaning of "employee" for Employment Tax Incentive purposes
- VAT Ruling 023: VAT treatment of educational services
- VAT Ruling 022: enterprise despite not having commenced making taxable supplies
Annual Legislative Proposals
- Cumulative determination of the de minimis limit across multiple living annuities
- Restriction of the inter-spousal donations tax exemption to a resident spouse
- Domestic transfer pricing rules for special economic zone companies
- Extension of the VAT claw-back on leasehold improvements to lessors who are not vendors
- Revised timing for claiming refunds for carbon budget compliance
- Expanded documentary requirements for second-hand goods vendors
- Interest relief on defaults disclosed in a voluntary disclosure application
Competencies Developed
On completion of this session, attendees are:
- Competent to apply key aspects of newly issued SARS documents, including binding rulings, interpretation notes, guides, and notices.
- Competent to advise clients on the impact of the latest legislative amendments on their tax compliance obligations and planning opportunities.
- Able to train staff to prepare SARS-compliant tax returns in line with current legislation and SARS administrative practice.
- Equipped to identify suitable topics for client communication, enabling early alerts to clients on developments affecting their tax position.
- Competent to revise client tax planning strategies in light of the latest changes and emerging SARS trends.