A research report to be submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce (Taxation) 31 March 2016 / The aim of the report is to determine whether the current Value-Added Tax (‘VAT’) treatment relating to the exemption applied on educational services should be retained and to ascertain whether the policy considerations which applied when VAT was introduced are still relevant, or whether changed circumstances would justify the introduction of a different treatment or concessions in relation to these services. The most critical and significant challenge being faced by VAT vendors and universities in particular is compliance with a vast array of amendments to the VAT Legislation, Binding Rulings, Guides and Interpretation Notes issued by the South African Revenue Service (‘SARS’). Noncompliance for whatever reason may result in irregular expenditure and significant penalties and interest imposed for non-compliance, especially in light of the additional penalties being imposed in terms of the Tax Administration Act which was promulgated in October 2012. VAT therefore has a direct impact on the financial affairs and cash flow of VAT registered entities. Furthermore, government funding in respect of tertiary institutions has been on the decline in recent years while the costs of running a tertiary institution have continued to be on the rise. This development has necessitated a change of approach in how tertiary institutions manage their operations. Consequently, there developed a strong need for tertiary institutions to find alternative ways of raising extra funds to make up for the shortfall caused by the decline in funding from government. The provision of short courses, in addition to the traditional full semester diploma and degree courses provided by the institutions, was identified as an opportunity to deliver a certain varied level of educational services to an existing suitable market. This opportunity presented attractive prospects as an alternative source of funding for the institutions in the wake of depleting government funding. In this regard, many of the institutions formed a number of vehicles in order to offer the short courses to the market. The rationale behind such approaches is in order to distinguish the traditional education services (diploma and degree courses) from the non-traditional educational services (short courses). / MT2017

University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg A proposal for a research report to be submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce / Value-Added Tax (VAT) on imported services in South Africa and the VAT treatment of banking income / products has been a contentious issue for a number of years in South Africa. South African companies, individual taxpayers, students and the South African Revenue Service (SARS) have difficulty to interpret whether section 7(1)(c) and section 14 of the Value-Added Tax Act No. 89 of 1991 is applicable to certain transactions. The aim of the study is to discuss and analyse VAT on imported services in South Africa in order for an individual taxpayer, company and SARS to understand which section should be applied to a certain transaction. This study also aims at clearly showing the type of income / products generated in the banking industry and how VAT is treated on the types of income / products in the bank. This will give students, tax professionals in the financial industry, auditors, companies, individuals and the SARS a better understanding of how VAT is treated in the financial industry. / MT2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce (specialising in Taxation) Johannesburg, 2015 / Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) play a key role in the development of the economy and are a significant contributor to employment. In South Africa (SA), SMMEs employ more than 68.2% of the work force in the private sector. To achieve the objective of economic growth, job creation as well as income redistribution, the government is actively promoting SMMEs. The SMMEs increase the average employment rate in SA by pulling into production unemployed low skilled labour, whose skills level is not sufficient to qualify for employment in larger firms. How do the South African tax compliance burden and tax incentives for SMMEs measure up in comparison to the tax compliance burden and tax incentives for SMMEs in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States of America (USA)? The research reviews the tax compliance burden and tax incentives of SMMEs in SA in comparison to the tax compliance burden and tax incentives of the UK and the USA. The research was conducted through an extensive review of the literature. The literature review has indicated that tax compliance is one of the main burdens acting as a deterrent to the formalization of SMMEs for tax purposes. The review of the literature also indicated that National Treasury is trying very hard to ease the burden of tax compliance on SMMEs. Key words: Income tax, SMMEs, tax compliance costs, tax incentives, turnover tax, value-added tax, venture capital.

A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar a relação entre a riqueza criada e o desempenho econômico-financeiro das cooperativas agropecuárias no Brasil. As cooperativas são organizações econômicas intermediárias, que prestam serviços aos associados, satisfazendo suas necessidades econômicas particulares. O fato é que além das sobras, que pode ser uma estratégia das cooperativas a partir dos interesses dos associados, as cooperativas também prestam serviços, como assistência técnica, orientação, compra de insumos/produtos, comercialização, agregando valor e gerando riqueza aos associados. Assim, avaliar os resultados de uma cooperativa e o seu desempenho da mesma forma com que uma empresa, cuja finalidade é a maximização do lucro, é avaliada pode não ser o mais adequado. Identificou-se, então, a necessidade de buscar outra maneira que possa contribuir na mensuração dos resultados das cooperativas. A riqueza criada é uma maneira de avaliar o desempenho econômico e social de uma organização e, é evidenciada na Demonstração do Valor Adicionado. Para tanto, identificou-se a relação entre o valor adicionado produzido pela cooperativa e os índices econômico-financeiros relevantes na avaliação de desempenho das cooperativas agropecuárias, por meio do método estatístico de regressão de dados em painel, considerando 34 cooperativas agropecuárias brasileiras durante 5 anos consecutivos e, realizou-se um estudo de caso em uma cooperativa agropecuária da amostra a fim de identificar qual é o valor agregado produzido pela cooperativa e qual a sua estratégia de distribuição do valor adicionado ao produtor rural associado. Os resultados evidenciam que há variáveis de tamanho, rentabilidade e network inseridas no modelo que contribuem para explicar a riqueza gerada pelas cooperativas da amostra. A variável venda líquida, utilizada como proxy para tamanho, a margem de vendas, utilizada como proxy para rentabilidade e o fato da cooperativa participar de uma cooperativa central, proxy para network são significativas e estão relacionadas positivamente com a riqueza criada. / This research aims to identify the relationship between the value added and the financial performance of agricultural cooperatives in Brazil. Cooperatives are economic intermediary organizations that provide services to members, satisfying their particular economic needs. The fact is that besides the leftovers, which can be a strategy of cooperatives based on the interests of the members, the cooperatives also provide services such as technical assistance, guidance, purchase of inputs/products, marketing, adding value and generating value to members. Thus, evaluating the results of a cooperative and its performance in the same way that a company whose purpose is profit maximization, is valued may not be the most appropriate. Then, we identified the need to find another way to contribute to the measurement of the results of cooperatives. The value added is a way to evaluate the economic and social performance of an organization and is shown in the Value Added Statement. For this, we identified the relationship between the added value produced by the cooperative and the relevant economic and financial indicators in assessing the performance of agricultural cooperatives, using the statistical method of panel data regression considering 34 Brazilian agricultural cooperatives during five years consecutive and performed a case study in an agricultural cooperative of the sample in order to identify what is the value added produced by the cooperative and what is its distribution strategy of value added to the associated farmers. The results show that there are varying size, profitability and inserted into the network model that can contribute to the value added by the cooperatives of the sample. Net sales variable, used as a proxy for size, sales margin, used as a proxy for profitability and the fact that the cooperative part of a central cooperative proxy for network are significant and are positively related to value added.

Thesis advisor: Henry I. Braun / Addressing the call to provide hard evidence on undergraduate student outcomes and make comparisons across higher education institutions for accountability purposes, this study extends current efforts in measuring higher education outcomes and explores the differences in three value-added methodologies. Using the CIRP freshman and senior survey data from 2002 and 2006, this study examines noncognitive higher education outcomes with a focus on civic engagement. The three value-added methodologies examined are: an OLS-based cross-sectional method, an HLM-based cross-sectional method, and an HLM-based longitudinal method. Rather than seek to establish which methodology is superior, this study intends to provide empirical evidence concerning the similarities and differences in estimating institutional effectiveness with regard to civic engagement. First, several student-level and institution-level covariates were found to be associated with a measure of civic engagement in the senior year after adjusting for their level of civic engagement as freshmen. The model comparison further revealed some advantages in the HLM-based longitudinal method over the other two methods, such as providing a more accurate institutional value-added estimate and the ability to account for a relatively large percent of the total variance in the civic engagement measure when using the same covariates. Next, among all pairs of model comparisons, results from the two HLM-based methods agreed the most (r=.80). However, institutional rankings fluctuate dramatically, even when comparing institutions within small peer groups. Finally, the findings highlighted great divergences among different value-added methodologies in identifying institutions that perform significantly differently from the average for accountability purposes. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2012. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation.

A Demonstração do Valor Adicionado (DVA) tornou-se obrigatória para as companhias de capital aberto que atuam no mercado brasileiro, a partir de 2008. Com cunho econômicosocial e com o objetivo de mostrar a riqueza adicionada pela empresa à economia do país, a DVA mostra a estrutura de remuneração dos fatores de produção adotada pela companhia. As informações da DVA compõem um dos indicadores do modelo GRI de Balanço Social. Esse modelo tem levado algumas empresas a divulgarem suas DVAs inserindo uma linha com os investimentos sociais dentre as linhas de distribuição de valor adicionado. Nesse contexto, esta tese buscou investigar quais as condições para os investimentos socioambientais serem considerados distribuição de valor adicionado na DVA. Para responder às questões de pesquisa, foram realizadas pesquisa teórica, sobre DVA e sobre responsabilidade social corporativa, e pesquisa empírica, com análise de conteúdo dos Relatórios de Sustentabilidade de 22 companhias abertas no Brasil. Os investimentos socioambientais identificados, na pesquisa empírica, foram analisados sob a ótica dos conceitos econômicos relacionados a valor adicionado e sob a ótica do IBGE, responsável pelo cálculo do produto nacional no país. Como conclusão, propõe-se a inclusão de uma linha na DVA, na parte de distribuição do valor adicionado, para os investimentos socioambientais que atendam às seguintes condições: (i) haver dispêndio por parte da empresa investidora, além daqueles gerados pelo próprio processo produtivo; (ii) haver benefício para a comunidade, além daqueles proporcionados pela simples existência da empresa; (iii) o consumo final do bem ou serviço, objeto de investimento social, ocorrer na comunidade; (iv) o dispêndio não representar compensação de externalidades negativas geradas pelo processo produtivo; (v) o dispêndio não representar consumo de bens ou serviços usados no processo produtivo; e (vi) não haver aproveitamento de incentivo fiscal caracterizado como dedução do tributo devido. Contudo, mudar a estrutura de uma demonstração contábil envolve muita discussão e muitas simulações para análise dos impactos da mudança. Esta tese dá início à discussão. É importante que a mudança não desestimule a realização de projetos sociais bem-sucedidos, mas é necessário incentivar maior transparência na divulgação dos projetos socioambientais das empresas. Como limitações do trabalho, destacam-se, principalmente, o uso de amostra intencional não representativa da população e o uso de Relatórios de Sustentabilidade, documento não obrigatório e, em sua maioria, não auditado. Por fim, acredita-se que o trabalho tenha contribuído para aproximar a DVA dos conceitos da Contabilidade Nacional. / Value Added Statement (VAS) became a mandatory practice for all publicly traded companies in Brazil since 2008. Bearing a economic and social value and having the objective to show the benefits the company has added to the domestic economy, the Value Added Statement discloses the companys own structure for the remuneration of production factors. The information brought up by the VAS compose an indicator of the GRI model of Social Report. Maybe it is due to this model that some companies have released VASs including a line with social investments amongst the lines of value added distribution. In such context, this thesis investigates what are the conditions that might allow environmental and social investments to be considered added value distribution in the VAS. In order to answer the research question a theoretical research on VAS and corporate social responsibility was conducted, as well as an empirical research based on the Sustainability Reports of 22 publicly traded companies in Brazil. The environmental and social investments identified in the empirical research were analyzed through the means of economic concepts related to value added by the IBGE, which is responsible for the publishing of the countrys national gross product. The conclusion of this investigation proposes the inclusion of an VAS line, at the value added distribution part, for environmental and social investments that show the following requirements: (i) there has to be an expense on the part of the investment company, besides those generated by the production process; (ii) there has to be benefits to the community, besides those brought by the mere existence of the company; (iii) the final consumption of the good or social service has to occur inside the community; (iv) the expense cannot represent the compensation of negative externalities created by the production process; (v) the expense cannot represent the consumption of goods or services used in the production process; and (vi) there cannot be any sort of tax incentive characterized as deduction of the due amount. It is worth noting that any change in an accounting statement structure demands discussion and many simulations so as to evaluate its impact. This thesis initiates the discussion. It is important to point out that the proposed changes should not prevent well succeeded social projects to happen, but rather increase their transparency. Among the limitations of this investigation are the use of samples that do not represent a population and the use of Sustainability Reports that are not audited or mandatory documents. At any rate, this work aims at bringing the concepts of VAS closer to National Accounting.

A eficiência na criação do valor para o acionista é o foco principal das empresas. Uma das formas de se medir essa eficiência é por meio do Valor Econômico Agregado (VEA). Em uma instituição financeira, limitada nesse estudo aos maiores bancos comerciais e múltiplos com ações cotadas na BM&FBOVESPA, os tomadores de decisão também devem buscar essa eficiência. Além disso, a necessidade dos bancos por financiamentos, da mesma forma que nas empresas privadas, exige o atendimento dos requisitos impostos pelo agente que irá fornecer o capital. Nesse sentido, para atender ao acionista, o banco deve promover a agregação de valor. O VEA demonstra essa criação de valor e, para melhor gerenciá-lo, devem ser identificadas, monitoradas e gerenciadas as variáveis que influenciam nessa medida. Diante disso, o presente estudo identificou os principais direcionadores do valor econômico agregado dos maiores bancos comerciais no Brasil: Banco do Brasil, Itaú e Bradesco, utilizando regressão linear múltipla. Por meio da análise dos dados individualizados, referentes ao período de 1996 a 2009, constatou-se que existe um grupo de direcionadores que explicam grande parte das alterações do VEA. Esses direcionadores não foram iguais para os bancos privados e o público em análise, e mesmo entre os privados os resultados não foram coincidentes. Embora algumas variáveis tenham influenciado o VEA, identificou-se que os direcionadores exercem diferentes impactos em cada uma das instituições. Isso indica que a análise deve ser individual e que o tipo de controle também não define as variáveis que mais impactam o VEA. / The efficiency in the creation of the value for the shareholder is the main focus of the companies. One of the ways of measuring this efficiency is through the Economic Value Added (EVA). In a financial institution, limited in this study to the largest and multiple commercial banks and with shares quoted in BM&FBOVESPA, the decision makers should also look for that efficiency. Besides, the need of the banks for financings, in the same way that in the private companies, demands the fulfillment of the requirements imposed by the agent that will supply the capital. In that sense, to assist the shareholder, the bank should promote the aggregation of value. EVA demonstrates this creation of value and, for its better management, the variables that influence in that measure should be identified, monitored and managed. Hence, the present study identified the main determinants of the economical value added from the largest commercial banks in Brazil: Bank of Brazil, Itaú and Bradesco, using multiple linear regression. Through the analyze of the individualized data, regarding the period from 1996 through 2009, it was verified that there is a group of determinants that explain great part of the alterations of EVA. These determinants were not the same for the private and the public banks in analysis, and even among the private ones the results were not coincident. Although some variables have influenced EVA, it has been identified that the determinants provoke different impacts in each one of the institutions. That indicates that the analysis should be individual and that the control type also does not define the variables that impact EVA the most.

Os tratados internacionais firmados após a segunda metade do século XX, em particular aqueles que pretendem superar os tradicionais acordos de livre comércio ou união aduaneira, seguem desafiando o direito contemporâneo. Por serem mais ambiciosos, ultrapassam a clássica forma de cooperação entre países soberanos e exigem uma estrutura institucional mais elaborada, capaz de fazer emergir a vontade expressa nos tratados e de estabelecer as liberdades que serão asseguradas nesse novo ambiente, uma vez que a máxima um povo, um governo, um território, não o define. A experiência mundial bem sucedida que conseguiu erigir um mercado comum, assim compreendido como um espaço sem fronteiras em cujo interior circulam livremente pessoas, serviços, mercadorias e capitais, foi a vivenciada pelas Comunidades Europeias. A clareza dos objetivos traçados, a capacidade de superar as fases de estagnação, a solidez das instituições e, sobretudo, o reconhecimento da supremacia do direito comunitário foram determinantes para o êxito europeu. O triunfo assentou-se, dentre tantos outros pilares, no processo de harmonização das legislações tributárias dos países membros, em especial as que alcançam o consumo de bens e serviços, razão pela qual é reconhecido, pela doutrina e jurisprudência comunitárias, como um dos principais motores da União Europeia. Após vários fracassos nas tentativas de aproximação dos países na América Latina, o Mercado Comum do Sul (MERCOSUL) foi idealizado para atingir o patamar de um mercado comum e reconhecer, entre os seus membros, as quatro liberdades fundamentais de um mercado integrado. Como a harmonização das legislações fiscais constitui uma etapa fundamental para a consecução desse espaço econômico sem fronteiras, a tese analisa as espécies tributárias que alcançam o consumo de bens e serviços nos países membros do MERCOSUL e avalia a possibilidade de avanço rumo à integração regional iniciada pela assinatura do Tratado de Assunção. Nesse sentido, demonstra em quais aspectos o sistema tributário brasileiro representa um importante entrave à integração no âmbito do MERCOSUL. / The international treaties signed after the second half of the 20th century , especially those meant to supersede the traditional free trade agreements or customs union, still challenge contemporary law. Given that they are more ambitious, they override the classic mode of cooperation between sovereign countries and survive on a more carefully elaborated institutional structure, capable of making the wills expressed in the treaties emerge and establish the freedoms that will be guaranteed in this new environment, once the maxim a people, a government a territory does not define it. The well succeeded world experience that led to the creation of a common market, construed as a space with no boundaries, within which people, services, goods and capital circulate freely, was experienced by the European Union. The clarity with which the aims were set forth, the power to overcome stagnation spells, the solvency of the institutions and, above all, the recognition of the supremacy of the communitarian law were decisive in the consolidation of the European success. Triumph, among so many other pillars, played a role in the process of harmonization of the tax law of the member countries, especially the law that contemplates the consumption of goods and services, which is the reason why it is known for its communitarian doctrine and jurisprudence, as one of the compelling forces of the European Union. After a succession of frustrated attempts to bring together the Latin American counties, the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) was conceived to attain the status of a common Market and recognise, among its members, the four fundamental freedoms of an integrated Market. As the harmonization of the fiscal laws is a stage of prime importance in the construction of this boundless economic space, the thesis analyses the types of taxes that affect the consumption of goods and services in the MERCOSUR member-countries and evaluates the possibility for is advancement towards the regional integration set on train with the signature of the Asunción Treaty. In this sense, it highlights which aspects of the Brazilian tax system pose a serious barrier to integration within the context of MERCOSUR.

As cooperativas são responsáveis por promoverem estímulos ao desenvolvimento local. Tendo em vista que as cooperativas visam satisfazer as necessidades econômicas e sociais de seus cooperados, essas entidades apresentam dupla natureza, econômica e social. Já existem estudos que analisam a necessidade de alteração no tratamento contábil das sociedades cooperativas tendo em vista a sua dupla natureza, objetivando poder demonstrar o efetivo impacto econômico e social causado pelas cooperativas. Nesse contexto, este trabalho busca demonstrar como impacto econômico e social das cooperativas agropecuárias pode ser evidenciado por meio da Demonstração do Valor Adicionado (DVA). Para atender esse objetivo da pesquisa, realizou-se a construção do modelo de Demonstração do Valor Adicionado e, em seguida, realizou-se uma pesquisa empírica por meio de um estudo de caso. Por fim, também realizou-se uma pesquisa com dados de 72 cooperativas do estado do Rio Grande do Sul, analisando as informações geradas sobre o valor adicionado. As principais alterações sugeridas no modelo vigente de DVA foram à separação do ato cooperado e não cooperado nas informações sobre receita e insumos adquiridos, permitindo que informações sobre o valor adicionado por cada ato seja gerada, a evidenciação da informação do diferencial de preço pago ao insumo adquirido do cooperado, inclusão dos itens referentes a remuneração da diretoria e assistência educacional aos empregados, inserção da informação sobre multas e infrações cometidas pela cooperativa, inclusão do grupo de contribuições socioeconômicas e dos itens de assistência técnica e educacional fornecidas aos cooperados. A realização do estudo de caso atestou a possibilidade de elaboração da DVA proposta para cooperativas agropecuárias com base nas informações contábeis disponíveis. Ademais, por meio das informações geradas, é possível demonstrar que as cooperativas agropecuárias produzem impacto econômico e social na região onde estão inseridas. / Cooperatives are responsible for stimulating local development. Given that cooperatives are intended to meet economic and social needs of their members, these entities have dual nature, economic and social. There are already studies analyzing the need for change in the accounting treatment of cooperative societies with a view to their dual nature making feasible the demonstration of effective economic and social impacts caused by cooperatives. Within this context, this paper aims to demonstrate how economic and social impacts of agricultural cooperatives may be evidenced through the Statement of Added Value (SAV). To accomplish the objective of the research, a model of Statement Added Value was made and then an empirical research was done through a case study. Finally, a survey of data from 72 cooperatives in the state of Rio Grande do Sul was carried out analyzing the information generated concerning added value. The main changes suggested in the SAV current model were the separation of the cooperative act and non-cooperative act regarding information based on revenues and inputs, allowing information on the added value by each act to be generated, disclosure about information of price differential paid to input purchased from the member of cooperative, besides inclusion of items concerning the remuneration of directors and employees\" educational assistance, insertion of information on fines and offenses committed by the cooperative, inclusion of socio-economic contributions made by the cooperative associates and technical and educational assistance items provided for members. The completion of the case study attested to the possibility of preparing the SAV proposal for agricultural cooperatives based on available financial information. Moreover, through the generated information, it is possible to demonstrate that agricultural cooperatives produce economic and social impacts on the region where they operate.

Tian Vane Ing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-74). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / 摘要 --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction and Overview --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.4 / Chapter 2.1 --- Shareholder Value and Corporate Governance --- p.4 / Chapter 2.2 --- Measures of Value --- p.7 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Data and Methodology --- p.12 / Chapter 3.1 --- Data --- p.12 / Chapter 3.2 --- Economic Value Added (EVA) --- p.12 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Net Operating Profit After Taxes (NOPAT) --- p.14 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Invested Capital (INCAP) --- p.16 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Cost of Capital --- p.17 / Chapter 3.2 --- Hypothesis of Interest --- p.18 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Empirical Results --- p.23 / Chapter 4.1 --- The Cost of Capital --- p.23 / Chapter 4.2 --- Economic Value Added (EVA) in China and Hong Kong --- p.25 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Analysis of the EVA: Overall --- p.25 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Analysis of the EVA: Industry --- p.28 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Discussions --- p.31 / Chapter 4.3 --- Testing of the Hypothesis --- p.36 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- EBEI and CFO in China and Hong Kong --- p.37 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Regression on Market Value --- p.41 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- Discussions --- p.43 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Summary and Concluding Remarks --- p.68 / Bibliography --- p.71