Relief from criminal prosecution
Obtain Tax Compliance
About Us
Our dedicated team comprises of tax attorneys, tax consultants and chartered accountants who are all well versed with SARS’ VDP applications. Your matter will be thoroughly analysed to ensure that the correct procedure is taken, every step of the way.
We guarantee legal privilege with all our tax attorney’s and will regularise your tax affairs a through a safe and effective process.
We have assisted many individuals and corporates to become tax compliant through SVDP and VDP applications, whereby, many successful VDP agreements have been concluded between taxpayers and SARS.
What is VDP and SVDP?
The reason for SARS opening the application was to encourage taxpayers to disclose their foreign income and assets to SARS in light of the global Common Reporting Standards (“CRS”), that allows for exchange of information between foreign tax authorities and SARS.
During the 2016 Budget Speech, the then Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, announced the launch of the Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme (“SVDP”), that was established in a joint application process between the South African Revenue Service (“SARS”) and the South African Reserve Bank (“SARB”).
The tax and exchange control relief envisaged by the SVDP, was available through SARS’ eFiling system, from 1 October 2016 up to and including 31 August 2017. The reason for SARS opening the application was to encourage taxpayers to disclose their foreign income and assets to SARS in light of the global Common Reporting Standards (“CRS”), that allows for exchange of information between foreign tax authorities and SARS.
The SVDP was meant for individuals and companies who previously failed to disclosed tax and exchange control defaults of offshore assets. However, following the close of the SVDP, SARS still allows for taxpayers to utilise the Voluntary Disclosure Programme (“VDP”), to regularise their tax affairs and disclose all foreign and local income not previously disclosed to SARS. This process enables taxpayers to avoid the burden of administrative and understatement penalties on their tax liabilities.
Legal Confidentiality and Privilege
Our team of attorneys will create a safe and constructive environment to assess risk and provide advice on tax compliance and the corresponding tax implications.
Any information and consultation exchanged between a taxpayer and his/her attorney carries with it the protection of legal confidentiality and privilege. Our team of attorneys will create a safe and constructive environment to assess risk and provide advice on tax compliance and the corresponding tax implications.
Legal privilege means that SARS cannot compel a tax attorney to supply information relating to communications between tax attorney and taxpayer surrounding legal advice that has been sought on taxpayer’s affairs.
Taxpayers must remember that it is vital that the matter is considered in totality and up-front by an attorney to ensure that legal professional privilege can formally be claimed.
