Tax education in South Africa : a survey of the current perceptions of educators

Abstract

Taxation is an ever changing field and the need for people who specialise in this area is continually growing. As a result of this the need for specialist tax related services; it has evolved into a profession of its own for quite a while in South Africa. Professional and specialised consulting occupations require a certain degree of specialisation to attain a level of superiority in the commercial world. To attain the status of a professional or to enjoy the status of specialised consultant requires extensive training and education. Taxation is taught at most universities albeit not as a degree in its own right but there are some exceptions. Currently South African universities offer a number of different undergraduate degrees that incorporate the discipline of taxation as a subject. Currently there is no set of standards or a professional body that regulates any individual claiming to be a tax specialist or practitioner. Consequently it is unsure whether or not the spectrum of topics and other required content included in the various degrees offered by South African universities, is educated at the required level to provide students with the necessary practical and theoretical skills, as well as other desired qualities, to survive in the ever changing and evolving world of taxation and be successful as a professional tax practitioner as expected by their employers. Using questionnaires, data was obtained from the tax departments of the universities accredited with SAICA. The results indicated, as expected, that a higher level of knowledge is expected of a student with a postgraduate qualification. In addition to this the more specialised the industry/field becomes to which the specific tax topic applies, the lesser level of knowledge is expected of a newly qualified candidate irrespective of the qualification. The conclusion drawn in this study was that educators place a high level of expected theoretical knowledge, practical skills and personal attributes on a newly qualified student but this level does not necessarily coincide with the level expected by employers. Consequently educators and employers need to reach a consensus about the curricula included in various degrees offered by South African universities in order to prepare them for practice. AFRIKAANS : Die konsep van belasting is ‘n alewig veranderende veld en die vraag na persone wie gespesialiseer is in die area groei by die dag. As gevolg van hierdie groeiende vraag na gespesialiseerde belastingdienste het die professie tot in sy eie reg ontwikkel en bestaan dit al vir ‘n etlike jare in Suid-Afrika. Professionele en gespesialiseerde konsultasie tipe beroepe vereis ‘n sekere vlak van spesialiseering om sodoende hoër agting te verkry in die kommersiële wêreld. Om die status van professional person of titel gespesialiseerde konsultant te geniet vereis intensiewe opleiding. Belasting as vakgebied word aangebied by meeste universiteite hoewel nie altyd as ‘n graad in sy eie reg nie, maar daar is uitsonderings. Ten tyde van hierdie studie bied Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite ‘n wye verskeidenheid voorgraadse kwalifikasies aan, wat belasting as ‘n vak insluit. Huidiglik is daar nie ‘n aanvaarde standaard of ‘n professionele organisasie wat persone reguleer wat beweer dat hulle in belasting spesialiseer nie. Gevolglik is daar onsekerheid in verband met die onderwerpe en inhoud wat vereis word in die verskeie kwalifikasies aangebied deur Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite. ‘n Verder onsekerhied onstaan ook of die inhoud wat aangebied word, op die verlangde vlak is om studente te voorsien met die nodige praktiese en toeretiese vaardighede, asook met ander verlangde kwaliteite, sodat hulle sal kan oorleef in die gedurig veranderende en ontwikkelende wêreld van belasting en sodoende suksesvol te wees as ‘n professionele belastingpraktisyn soos dit verwag word deur ‘n werkgewer. Data is ingevorder met behulp van vraelyste vanaf die belastingdepartemente van universiteite wat deur SAICA geakkrediteer word. Soos verwag het die resultate getoon dat daar egter van ‘n student met ‘n nagraadse kwalifikasie ‘n hoër kennisvlak verwag word. Hierbenewens, hoe meer gespesialiseerd die bedryf of gebied waaraan ‘n spesifieke belastingsonderwerp gekoppel word, hoe minder kundig hoef ‘n nuutgekwalifiseerde kandidaat te wees, ongeag van sy/haar kwalifikasies. Die gevolgtrekking uit hierdie studie is dat dosente ‘n hoë verwagting plaas op teoretiese kennis, praktiese vaardighede en persoonlike eienskappe vanaf nuut gekwalifiseerde studente maar dat die vlak van verwagting met betrekking tot die werkgewer se raamwerk nie noodwending ooreenstem nie. Daarom is dit uiters belangrik dat opvoeders en werkgewers konsensus bereik oor die inhoud van curricula in die verskeie kwalifikasies aangebeid deur Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite in ‘n poging om studente sodoende beter voor te berei vir praktyk.