The new Minister of Finance didn’t have much time to prepare for the Medium Term Budget Speech (MTBS) but he carried it off well.The MTBS is a three year outlook for the government budget and was introduced by Trevor Manuel to increase transparency into our...
Many taxpayers are experiencing frustrations in their dealings with SARS. The Tax Ombud is there to assist taxpayers if they have experienced: Procedural difficulties Service issues Administrative problems and the taxpayer has exhausted all avenues of appeal with SARS with respect to SARS dispute procedures. However,...
One of the advantages of the technological revolution is that advances move swiftly down the cost curve. Accounting software for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has now become much faster, more secure and cheaper. It gives businesses real time information and thus makes SMEs more...
Recently the Labour Court ruled in favour of an employee who was dismissed for failing to produce a required medical certificate. The employee had a history of absenteeism. Going AWOL 21 to 24 December The employee had a medical condition which the employer was aware of. In...
“Hubris … extreme or foolish pride or dangerous overconfidence” (Wikipedia) There is so much information going around that it is almost impossible to see through it all and make informed decisions. As Johann Rupert says, if he could accurately predict the time when shares are going...
There is some confusion over whether to declare your laptops, golf clubs, iPads and other such valuables that you travel out of the country with. The answer is no you don’t have to declare these items, but you do have to carry with you proof of...
“Leadership is nature's way of removing morons from the productive flow" (Dilbert) The ‘Peter Principle’ has been around for nearly fifty years. Recent research has underlined that it is still valid today. It has implications for how we promote staff and the effects this has on our...
Catastrophes like floods and fires do occur and there is insurance to cater for these types of events. There are two different types of insurance cover for these events – one to repair or replace the assets damaged (your normal insurance policy) and one to...
“The question isn’t at what age I want to retire, it’s at what income.” George Foreman There are many things to consider when you retire. One thing to be careful of is the amount of money you cash in from your retirement savings. Taking cash from your...
There are strikes seemingly now all the time and usually the dispute is over wage increases and benefits. On the other side of the coin, when employers speak, they often talk of the country’s skills deficit and labour laws. Recent research in KwaZulu-Natal has highlighted that...