Can losses be distributed out of a trust?
On 18 March 2021, the Supreme Court of Appeal delivered judgment in the case of Massmart Holdings Limited v The Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service. The case dealt with losses which were incurred within the broader Massmart group in respect of the investing of equity instruments as part of an employee share incentive scheme. The mechanism of the scheme was that shares allocated to the designated employees would be […]
Do tenants still have to pay rent during the lockdown?
Common Law position – in absence of a “force majeure” clause A force majeure is an act of God or man (such as a war, strike, riot, crime, plague, or an event described such as a hurricane, flood, earthquake, volcanic eruption, etc.), that is unforeseeable, out of the reasonable control of the parties to a […]
The Supreme Court’s interpretation of tax statutes
In Commissioner for SARS v United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK) (25 March 2020) the interpretation of tax statues in conjunction with other statutes was considered. UMK conducts mining operations and specifically that of manganese. UMK was caught in the crosshairs based on its interpretation of section 6(3)(b) of the Royalty Act, which regulates how mining ventures should calculate […]