# Difference Makers - Integritax

Gerrit Weideman • April 4, 2025

Important Notice

As mentioned by the Minister of Finance in his March 2025 Budget speech, changes have been proposed to the Employment Tax Incentive Act. Further details on the impact of this proposal, which came into effect on 1 April 2025 can be found on the following link. 

The March edition of the OTO’s Fair Play newsletter is now available. This edition contains content on reflections on the OTO’s 2024/25 financial year, bank verifications for VAT refund purposes and the impact of perceived fairness in the tax system on tax compliance. 

Integritax

Lead, Influence, Inspire

SAICA submission
SAICA submission to Parliament on the 2025 Budget Review document

Contribute your view 
SARS has published a Draft Interpretation Note which deals with the taxation of amounts received by or accrued to missionaries for public comment. Comments can be sent to SAICA and are due by Friday, 2 May 2025

Tax Tips

Employers are to note that employer annual EMP 501 declarations are due for submission to SARS. Submission dates run from Tuesday, 1 April 2025 to Saturday, 31 May 2025. As previously advised, SARS has introduced updates to e@syFile and employers are encouraged to use this new version when submitting their declarations. To download the latest version of e@syFile follow this link. 

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CPD

Save the dates: 

For insights into what the Tax in Practice webcast entails, please access here.
 

For other events, please visit the SAICA Events bookings portal.
 

Delegates who book and attend live SAICA webcasts or face-to-face events will receive a Confirmation of Attendance email within 8 to 10 days of attendance confirming that the registered delegate attended the stated webcast or event, as well as the duration of the webcast or event. Certain institutions and regulators may however require a Confirmation of Completion certificate as evidence of verifiable CPD. 

To obtain a Confirmation of Completion certificate, whether for attending a live webcast or event or watching a recording on the SAICA eVolve system, you have to successfully complete the relevant assessment and achieve a pass mark of at least 75%. Once the assessment has been passed you can download a Confirmation of Completion certificate. SAICA accepts both the Confirmation of Attendance and the Confirmation of Completion certificates as evidence of verifiable CPD completed by members. The learning and assessment must have taken place in the period under review (i.e. 1 January - 31 December) so that the report reflects such.


Please email seminarsandevents@saica.co.za to receive your CPD confirmation.

Please refer to the SAICA CPD FAQ document for further information.

Integritax quizzes
Access eVOLVE our new online Learner Management System (LMS) and answer the Integritax monthly quizzes to earn up to 30 minutes CPD per article.

Integritax journal

The following articles, which over an opportunity to earn CPD questions (30 minutes CPD per article) are available in the April edition of the Integritax Journal: 

The following (non-CPD articles) are also included in the April edition of the journal: 

Technical Resources And Support
Integritax

Tax operational query support
If you have any SARS operational queries that you have been unable to resolve by following the SARS escalation channels, you may log these on the SAICA Member Portal for referral to SARS.

SAICA technical resources 
An archive of resources or information published on, inter alia, the SARS and National Treasury websites can be accessed on Tax: Legal and Policy. 

Contemporary Gazette
Members can access the Contemporary Gazette which provides, inter alia, a comprehensive database of new laws. To login, use the following details: 

  • Login name: saica(membership number), for example saica123456789.
  • Password: membership number.

Legal and policy
See the latest on the SAICA Legal and Policy, including:

These five cases were heard together because they raise overlapping questions about the interpretation and application of section 105 of the TAA. The TAA introduced a uniform regime for objecting to assessments and decisions by SARS and appealing such assessments and decisions to the Tax Court.

Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964 - tariff determination - section 47(9)(e) - wide appeal - review in terms of Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000, section 33 of the Constitution, or alternatively, the principle of legality - rule 53 record - rule 30A application - review jurisdiction - whether taxpayer confined to a wide appeal.

General

Read the requirements for membership and apply for the below vacancies:

Tax Practitioners

If you are a tax practitioner looking to deregister your SAICA tax practitioner profile, please refer to the following document for guidance on how to complete this task.

SARS has issued a guide on the criteria for registration of tax practitioners. Follow this link to access the guide.

As advised in late 2024, SARS’ updated Tax Practitioner Readiness Programme will come into effect in January 2025. Changes in this regard will apply with effect from 13 January 2025 and any prospective tax practitioners will be expected to pass the assessment based on the updated learning material. For more information please follow the link. 

The SAICA 2024 Tax Practitioner Annual Declaration is no longer accessible on the SAICA Member Portal. As previously communicated, tax practitioner declarations submitted after Friday, 31 January 2025 will be considered late declarations. Late declarations or non-responsiveness constitutes non-compliance with the SAICA by-laws, and tax practitioners who have not submitted or submitted the declaration late will be referred to SAICA’s Legal and Discipline department for sanctioning as per SAICA’s disciplinary code. Tax practitioners who are found to have made dishonest declarations will also be referred to the SAICA Legal and Discipline department for sanctioning, as this amounts to unethical behaviour and is in contravention of the SAICA Code of Professional Conduct. A notice of non-compliance will be issued to affected tax practitioners.
 
Tax practitioners selected for monitoring were requested to submit evidence of compliance with CPD requirements and a commissioned criminal free status affidavit by Friday, 7 February 2025. SAICA is currently processing the responses and evidence submitted to confirm compliance, this in preparation for submission to SARS for the Recognised Controlling Body (RCB) Compliance report. Disciplinary action will follow in line with SAICA’s Disciplinary Code and Procedures for tax practitioners who were selected for monitoring and failed to respond or provide the requested evidence. Monitoring outcome notices will be issued to all tax practitioners selected for monitoring once the member compliance unit have finalised the process. Read the Tax Practitioner Obligation webpage for more information on the regulatory requirements and registration/deregistration processes relating to tax practitioners.

The SARS MobiApp is one of the digital platforms that enables tax practitioners to access profile information, monitor compliance with tax obligations, and transact on behalf of their clients easily and effortlessly. To support tax practitioners in managing their clients’ tax matters, a comprehensive SARS guide on using SARS MobiApp has been developed. 

The March edition of SARS’ Tax Practitioner Connect newsletter is now available. This edition contains content on the donations tax form and how to make reportable arrangement submissions via eFiling.

Tax Related Comments ,Compliments & Complaints

Tax related comments, compliments and complaints Email SAICA

Your Tax Deadlines for November 2025

By Gerrit Weideman • November 5, 2025
07 November – PAYE submissions and payments 25 November – VAT manual submissions and payments 27 November – Excise duty payments 28 November – VAT electronic submissions and payments, & CIT Provisional Tax payments where applicable.

How Your Payment Terms Could be Damaging Your Business

By Gerrit Weideman • November 5, 2025
“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship.” (Benjamin Franklin) Extending 30-, 60- or 90-day payment terms may seem like a simple trick to help your sales teams convert sales, smooth negotiations and boost customer service. What you may not recognise, though, is that those terms are not neutral commercial niceties – they are a form of credit. When your business supplies goods or services today and accepts payment weeks or months later, it has effectively provided an unsecured loan to the buyer. That “invisible loan” has measurable costs: higher working-capital needs, lost interest income, distorted pricing decisions and elevated credit risk. When you sell on extended terms, “accounts receivable” grows and cash on the balance sheet shrinks until the buyer pays. That increases days-sales-outstanding (DSO) and raises the working-capital requirement. If you borrow to cover the gap (common for seasonal businesses or those with tight margins) the interest paid on that borrowing is a direct cost of the terms you offered. Even when you don’t borrow, the opportunity cost remains: cash not received cannot be used to reduce debt, invest in higher-return projects, or fund inventory when demand spikes. Over time the cumulative burden of routinely extended terms reduces agility and margins. Unfortunately, many clients demand extended payment terms, and your competition may be prepared to accede to their wishes. So how do you ensure you keep the business without going out of business yourself? 1. Price the finance Treat longer payment terms as a priced service. Build a transparent financing fee into orders that use 60- or 90-day terms, or publish two price lists: a net price for immediate payment and a financed price for deferred settlement. Customers accept explicit fees more readily than hidden margin increases, and your finance team can model return on capital precisely. 2. Offer structured early-payment incentives Instead of unconditional long payment terms, offer predictable early-payment discounts or dynamic discounting tied to actual payment date. A 0.5–1.0% discount for payment within 7–10 days often costs less than the buyer’s short-term borrowing and converts receivables into near-cash for you. 3. Underwrite and limit credit formally Move from ad-hoc allowances to formal credit applications and limits. Require a minimum credit assessment for extended terms, set credit lines tied to payment performance, and review limits at set intervals. For new or higher-risk customers, insist on shorter terms or staged delivery until a track record is established. 4. Design payment terms as part of commercial deals Make terms a negotiation item linked to value. Trade extended terms for commitments: volume guarantees, longer contract terms, staged milestones, or partial upfront payment. Where applicable, split deals into an upfront deposit and a deferred balance tied to delivery or performance to reduce unsecured exposure. 5. Use technology and supply-chain finance options Make payment easier with accurate, timely electronic invoicing, one-click payment links, and multiple payment methods. For larger B2B (business-to-business) accounts, consider invoice finance or supply-chain finance platforms. They enable buyers to settle invoices early and suppliers to access cash immediately, typically with transparent and lower financing costs than traditional receivables. 6. Make the invisible visible It’s essential to stop treating DSO as a passive metric and make extended terms a line item in cash-flow forecasting. Your accountant (that’s us!) can help you report the cost of terms monthly: financing cost, incremental bad-debt risk, and the foregone investment return on delayed cash. We can also supply a short finance note quantifying the cost and proposed mitigation (discount, guarantee, deposit). The bottom line Payment terms are a commercial tool and a financial instrument. When finance and sales treat them differently, an invisible loan quietly accumulates. By following the steps outlined in this article you can make the loan visible and manageable. That shift preserves customer flexibility while protecting cash, margins and your company’s capacity to invest. If you need help structuring your payment terms, speak to us.

Time Is Money: 8 Timesaving Tips Every Business Leader Should Utilise

By Gerrit Weideman • November 5, 2025
“The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” (Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People) In business, it’s too easy for an entrepreneur or business leader to mistake being busy for being effective. Working long hours with back-to-back meetings can look like productivity – but without clarity and boundaries, the important work may not actually be getting done. According to a study conducted by McKinsey, 61% of senior executives believe that at least half of the time they spend making decisions is unproductive. So how can you stop this from happening to you? Time-saving strategies are an essential tool for sustainable modern leadership. Streamlining processes, delegating effectively, and embracing automation can transform your day. Done right, these tactics free up energy for strategic thinking, innovation, and decision-making – all of which can lead to greater growth in your business. Here are some evidence-based tips every business leader should employ to better utilise their time. 1. Prioritise ruthlessly One of the most effective ways to save time is by focusing only on tasks that deliver real impact. The Eisenhower Matrix (dividing tasks into urgent vs. important) remains a powerful tool. Many leaders fall into the trap of handling urgent but low-value work, rather than carving out time for strategic priorities. The fix? Review your to-do list daily and cut or delegate anything that doesn’t directly move the business forward. Treat your time as an investment portfolio and put more into the high-return opportunities. 2. Delegate with trust Effective delegation is a skill, not just because it frees up your time, but also because it empowers your team. Too many leaders hoard responsibilities out of habit or fear that standards won’t be met. But this can bottleneck workflows and burn time on details that others are capable of handling. You should be clearly defining expectations, providing resources, and then stepping back. By learning to fully trust your team you free yourself up for higher-level thinking and decision-making. Just as importantly, you give staff room to grow, in the process increasing employee engagement and retention. 3. The algorithm is your friend Everyone’s talking about AI these days, and with good reason. Technology can be a business leader’s greatest ally. From scheduling tools to delivering automated reporting, letting technology take care of the smaller tasks can strip hours of repetitive labour from your week. The upfront effort and cost of setting up automation pays dividends quickly. According to a Deloitte survey, businesses using automation in finance and operations reported time savings of between 60% and 80% in some high volume, transactional finance processes. As your accountant, we can help you adjust budgets to cater for tech upgrades and installations, and the adjusted workflows that will surely follow. Leaders who resist these tools risk drowning in avoidable admin. 4. Guard your calendar Your calendar is a reflection of your priorities. Yet many leaders allow it to be hijacked by endless meetings. A practical fix is to implement “meeting-free zones” (blocks of time reserved exclusively for deep work). Another technique is the “two-pizza rule” made famous by Jeff Bezos: never hold a meeting if it requires more than two pizzas to feed the attendees. Meetings with fewer staff and clear agendas reduce wasted time and force clarity. 5. Communicate your way These days, business leaders are blessed with communication options. Tools like project management platforms, shared documents, and messaging systems mean you can allow communication to happen without the need for meetings or real-time interruptions. Allowing people to react to incoming information when they have space in their day lowers wasted time and increases focus. This helps everyone in the business, including you, to get more done. 6. Build decision-making frameworks Your job as a business leader is essentially to make decisions. The longer it takes you to make a decision, the more momentum is impeded. Structured decision-making frameworks (such as weighted scoring models) can help you speed up evaluations, reduce second-guessing and come to conclusions faster. This doesn’t just save you time, it also keeps others on track. 7. Invest in personal efficiency Leadership productivity is also about discipline. By simply changing some of the habits you’ve developed over a lifetime, you could immediately become more efficient. For example, you could answer your emails and phone notifications in batches instead of interrupting work to answer them as the notification comes in. Introducing new habits and changing old ones will require daily diligence and repetition. Initially, it may seem draining, but over time you’ll find you are saving hours you can put to better use elsewhere. 8. Time as a strategic asset Leaders who learn to protect and optimise their schedules are the ones who build organisations that are sharper, faster, and more resilient. By prioritising ruthlessly, delegating effectively, automating smartly, and protecting your calendar, you can transform time from a constraint into a competitive advantage.
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