Tax avoidance opportunities by investing in tax havens - a South African perspective

Abstract

The National Treasury announced that foreign exchange regulations would to be amended to enable greater foreign investment by South African entities. The effect of the above less stringent regulations increases the opportunity for investors to invest/earn income in tax havens which will have an effect on the ability of the South African Revenue Service (hereinafter referred to as SARS) to collect revenue for the National Treasury. Investments in tax havens have various tax benefits for the investor due to the favourable tax treatment that the investor is likely to receive. There is, however, a risk that the taxpayer, seeking these benefits, might contravene the South African Income Tax Act and be found guilty of tax evasion. AFRIKAANS : Die Nasionale Tesourie het sekere buitelandse valutabeheermaatreëls aangekondig om groter beleggings deur Suid-Afrikaanse entiteite moontlik te maak. Die effek van bogenoemde verslapping van regulasies skep egter ook die geleentheid vir beleggers om in belastingtoevlugsoorde te belê of om inkomste daar te verdien wat die Suid-Afrikaanse Inkomstediens se pogings, om inkomste vir die Nasionale Tesourie in te vorder, sal belemmer. Beleggings in belastingtoevlugsoorde het verskeie voordele vir die belegger wat waarskynlik gunstige belastinghantering tot gevolg sal hê. Daar is egter ook die risiko dat die belegger homself kan skuldig maak aan belastingontduiking en daarmee die Suid- Afrikaanse Inkomstebelastingswet sal oortree. Slegs bekende belastingstoevlugsoorde word in hierdie studie ondersoek aangesien internasionale belasting taamlik kompleks is. Byna elke belastingsisteem kan gesien word as ‘n belastingstoevlugsoord as dit vergelyk word met die Suid-Afrikaanse belastingsisteem. Only known tax havens were studied as, given the complexities of international taxation, almost every tax system could be considered a tax haven if compared to the South African tax system. Copyright 2011, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Mac Robert, E 2011, Tax avoidance opportunities by investing in tax havens - a South African perspective, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03272012-102714 / > F12/4/183/gm