The VAT treatment of over-allowances in the motor retail industry has proved contentious for South African Revenue Services (“SARS”). VAT legislation dictates that notional VAT may be claimed on the lower of the open market value and the consideration paid. The industry, however, claims notional VAT on the actual consideration paid for a used vehicle on the basis that a higher output VAT will be declared on the consequent sale of the new vehicle. This is because the over-allowance is offset against the lower discount granted. SARS allows this practice on account of SARS’ own issuance of a binding general ruling, provided certain criteria are met. This ruling is contained in the VAT Guide to Motor Dealers. This study performs an analysis of the current practice by South African motor retailers pertaining to over-allowances. The aim of the study is to determine the impact on the industry of the issuance of the Guide, both practically and from the perspective of compliance, focussing on VAT legislation and Competition Commission legislation. The study discusses the requirements contained in the Guide in the light of the Competitions Act and the practical benefits, and concludes that the industry is satisfied with the issuance of the Guide, despite its silence on the interpretation of certain key criteria. The industry has chosen to assume that, as SARS has acted reasonably in the issuance of the Guide, it would not expect the industry to deviate from any other legislation, including the Competitions Act. If SARS is not satisfied with this interpretation, the Guide will have to be amended to include definitions of terms such as “permissible discount”. AFRIKAANS : Die hantering van die toelating van oormatige BTW in die motorvoertuig-kleinhandelsindustrie is, insover dit die Suid-Afrikaanse Inkomstediens (“SAID”) betref, omstrede. BTW-wetgewing bepaal dat geagte BTW gehef mag word op die laagste van ope markwaarde en die werklike bedrag betaal. In die motorvoertuigindustrie word BTW egter altyd gehef op die werklike bedrag betaal vir ‘n gebruikte voertuig met die veronderstelling dat hoër uitset BTW verklaar gaan word met die verkoop van ‘n nuwe voertuig wat die inruiltransaksie tot gevolg gaan hê. Daar word geredeneer dat die oortoelating van BTW uitgekanselleer gaan word deur ‘n laer afslag op die nuwe verkope. As gevolg van bindende bepalings in die BTW Handleiding vir Motorhandelaars, wat uitgereik is deur die SAID en die nakoming van sekere voorwaardes deur die motorhandelaars, laat die SAID hierdie praktyk toe. In hierdie mini-verhandeling word die vereistes wat in die Handleiding vervat is teen die agtergrond van die Wet op Mededinging en die praktiese voordele daarvan bespreek. Die gevolgtrekking is dat die motorvoertuigindustrie tevrede is met die uitreiking van die Handleiding vir motorhandelaars ongeag die feit dat sekere sleutel aspekte nie in die Handleiding voldoende toegelig word nie. Die motorindustrie het die aanname gemaak dat SAID redelikerwys opgetree het deur die Handleiding uit te reik en sal daarom nie verwag dat die industrie van enige ander wetgewing sal afwyk nie, insluitende die Wet op Mededinging. As die SAID nie tevrede is met hierdie interpretasie nie sal dit beteken dat die Handleiding aangepas sal moet word om ander relevante terminologieë soos “toelaatbare afslag” beter te omskryf en te verduidelik. 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: Coventry, MA 2011, A critical analysis of the VAT implications of over-allowances in the South African motor retail industry, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03092012-112915 / > F12/4/77/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Taxation / unrestricted

Abstracts in English, Afrikaans and Northern Sotho / The tax compliance costs of individual taxpayers in South Africa are unknown, and it is essential to determine, amongst other things, whether these costs pose a risk of causing non-compliance, which could have a negative effect on the collection of tax revenue. Hence, the aim of the study was to assess the tax compliance costs of individual taxpayers in South Africa. The assessment of tax compliance costs entailed calculating these costs in relation to the submission of income tax returns and post-filing activities, ascertaining the determinants of these costs and suggesting ways to reduce them. Using data collected from an online survey conducted among 10 260 taxpayers, it was estimated (applying various methods) that income tax compliance costs of individual taxpayers for the 2018 year of assessment were between 3.61% and 5.31% of the personal income tax revenue. These results compared well with ratios reported in most studies conducted in other countries and showed a reduction from the results obtained from 752 taxpayers for the 2017 year of assessment. Chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID), a decision tree modelling technique, was used to ascertain the determinants of tax compliance costs and to identify specific groups of taxpayers associated with distinct ranges of the determinants that were statistically significant predictors of tax compliance costs. This breakdown enabled a better understanding of the influence that the specific values of the continuous determinants, such as the service quality rating of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), and the categorical determinants, such as education level and employment status, have on tax compliance costs. The CHAID analysis therefore provided an additional level of insight not possible with regression analysis, enhancing the usability of the results. Employment status and income tax bracket had the strongest association with tax compliance costs (on average, self-employed taxpayers and taxpayers in the highest income tax bracket had the highest total tax compliance costs). Various other determinants, for example, type of assistance obtained, gender, education level, complexity of tax legislation, complexity of SARS guides, and SARS’s service quality rating were also identified in the analyses. / Die belastingvoldoeningskoste van individuele belastingpligtiges in Suid-Afrika is onbekend, en dit is noodsaaklik om, onder andere, te bepaal of hierdie koste ʼn risiko van nievoldoening inhou wat ʼn negatiewe uitwerking op die insameling van belastinginkomste kan hê. Die doelwit van die studie was dus om die belastingvoldoeningskoste van individuele belastingpligtiges in Suid-Afrika te assesseer. Die assessering van belastingvoldoeningskoste behels die berekening van hierdie koste ten opsigte van die indiening van inkomstebelastingopgawes en ná-indieningsaktiwiteite, bepaling van die determinante van hierdie koste en voorstelle van hoe om dit te verminder. Aan die hand van data wat ingesamel is deur ʼn aanlyn opname onder 10 260 belastingpligtiges, is (deur middel van verskeie metodes) geraam dat inkomstebelasting-voldoeningskoste van individuele belastingpligtiges vir die 2018-assesseringsjaar tussen 3.61% en 5.31% van die persoonlike-inkomstebelastinginkomste was. Hierdie resultate het goed vergelyk met verhoudings soos berig in die meeste studies wat in ander lande uitgevoer is en het ʼn afname gewys in die resultate wat by 752 belastingpligtiges vir die 2017-assesseringsjaar bekom is. Chi-kwadraat outomatiese wisselwerkingbespeuring (chi-square automatic interaction detection – CHAID), ʼn besluitnemingskema-modelleringtegniek, is gebruik om die determinante van belastingvoldoeningskoste te bepaal en om spesifieke groepe belastingpligtiges te identifiseer wat statisties-beduidende voorspellers van belastingvoldoeningskoste is. Hierdie uiteensetting het ʼn beter begrip daargestel van die invloed wat die spesifieke waardes op die deurlopende determinante, soos die diensgehaltegradering van die Suid-Afrikaanse Inkomstediens (SARS), en die kategoriedeterminante, soos onderwysvlak en indiensnemingstatus, op belastingvoldoeningskoste het. Die CHAID-ontleding het dus ʼn bykomende vlak van insig voorsien wat nie moontlik is met regressieontleding nie en sodoende die bruikbaarheid van die resultate verbeter. Indiensnemingstatus en inkomstebelastingkategorie het die sterkste assosiasie met belastingvoldoeningskoste (belastingpligtiges in eie diens en belastingpligtiges in die hoogste inkomstekategorie het gemiddeld die hoogste totale belastingvoldoeningskoste). Verskeie ander determinante, byvoorbeeld, soort bystand verkry, geslag, onderwysvlak, kompleksiteit van belastingwetgewing, kompleksiteit van SARS-gidse en SARS-diensgehaltegradering is ook in die ontledings geïdentifiseer. Die studie het afgesluit met voorstelle om individuele belastingspligtiges se belastingvoldoeningskoste te verlaag. / Ditshenyegelo tša ditefelo tša go obamela melawana ya metšhelo ka balefamotšhelo ka Afrika Borwa ga di tsebje, gomme go bohlokwa gore re tsebe, gareng ga tše dingwe, ge eba ditshenyegelo tše di tliša kotsi ya go baka gore balefamotšhelo ba se ke ba obamela melawana ya metšhelo, e lego seo se ka bago le seabe sa go se loke go kgoboketšo ya letseno la motšhelo. Ke ka lebaka leo, maikemišetšo a dinyakišišo tše e bile go sekaseka ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo ka balefamotšhelo ka Afrika Borwa. Tshekatsheko ya ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo go ra gore re swanetše go hlakanya ditshenyegelo tše mabapi le go romela dingwalwa tša motšhelo le ditiragalo tša ka morago ga go romela dingwalwa tšeo tša motšhelo, go realo e le go tseba dilo tšeo di bakago ditshenyegelo tše le go šišinya mekgwa ya go di fokotša. Ka go šomiša tshedimošo ye e kgobokeditšwego go dinyakišišo tšeo di dirilwego ka inthanete gareng ga balefamotšhelo ba 10 260, go akantšwe gore (ka go diriša mekgwa ye e fapafapanego) ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo wa letseno ka balefamotšhelo ka ngwaga wa tshekatsheko ya metšhelo wa 2018 di bile magareng ga 3.61% le 5.31% ya tšhelete ya motšhelo wa letseno. Dipoelo tše di bapetšwa gabotse le dikelo tšeo di begilwego ka dinyakišišong tše ntši tšeo di dirilwego ka dinageng tše dingwe gomme di laeditše go fokotšega go tšwa go dipoelo tšeo di hweditšwego go balefamotšhelo ba 752 ka ngwageng wa tshekatsheko ya metšhelo wa 2017. Kutollo ya tirišano ya maitirišo ya Chi-square (CHAID), e lego mokgwa wa go nyakišiša sephetho ka maphakga, e šomišitšwe ka nepo ya go tseba dilo tšeo di bakago ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo le go hlaola dihlopha tše itšego tša balefamotšhelo bao ba amanago le mehuta ye e swanago e nnoši ya dihlaodi tšeo di bilego bohlokwa go ya ka dipalopalo mabapi le ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo. Karoganyo ye e kgontšhitše kwešišo ye kaone ya khuetšo yeo dikokwane tše itšego tša dilo tšeo di tšwelago pele go baka se, tša go swana le kelo ya boleng bja tirelo ye e abjago ke Tirelo ya Motšhelo ya Afrika Borwa (SARS), le dilo tšeo di bakago go se obamele melawana ya motšhelo go ya ka makala, go swana le maemo a thuto le maemo a mošomo, go ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo. Tshekatsheko ya CHAID ka fao e file maemo a tlaleletšo a tsebo yeo e sa kgonagalego ka tshekatsheko ya poelomorago, go maatlafatša go šomišega ga dipoelo. Maemo a mošomo le legoro la motšhelo wa letseno di bile le kamano ye kgolo le ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo (ka kakaretšo, balefamotšhelo bao ba itšhomelago le balefamotšhelo bao ba lego ka go legoro la godimo la motšhelo wa letseno ba na le palomoka ya godimodimo ya motšhelo wo ba lefišwago ona). Dilo tše dingwe tša mehutahuta tšeo di bakago go se obamele melawana ya motšhelo, go fa mohlala, mohuta wa thušo ye e hweditšwego, bong, maemo a thuto, go se kwešišege ga melawana ya motšhelo, go se kwešišege ga ditlhahli tša SARS, le kelo ya boleng bja tirelo ya SARS le tšona di utollotšwe ka tshekatshekong. Dinyakišišo di feditše ka go fa ditšhišinyo mabapi le ka fao go ka fokotšwago ditshenyegelo tša go obamela melawana ya motšhelo ka balefamotšhelo. / D. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)