Most tax criminal offences are not premeditated acts of tax evasion, but ordinary events that now - in terms of the Tax Administration Act - expose individuals and businesses to the possibility of committing offences that carry harsh penalties, including fines, imprisonment, and other implications for those convicted. 

With the requirement that a tax criminal offence is committed “wilfully” now removed, even inadvertent or administrative errors can be penalised to the maximum, which is why SARS itself says that professional tax assistance is crucial to avoid these tax criminal offences.  

While SARS’ announcement of the removal of the supplementary declaration for Corporate Income Tax (CIT) for companies or close corporations – the IT14SD form - appears to indicate less paperwork, cost and time when a company is selected for CIT verification, the reality is that it will result in greater scrutiny during the verification process. Because being selected for verification poses significant risk to your company in terms of time, cost and effort, and the possibility of being referred for audit, the expertise and assistance of your accountant is highly recommended. 

2022 saw a new term rapidly enter the lexicon of HR managers everywhere, “quiet quitting”. The term refers to a trend where, instead of formally resigning, workers are coming to work but only just meeting the absolute minimum requirements to keep their jobs. The trend has inspired a number of conversations around the importance of work/life balance compared with the needs of an effective business.