Carla Rossouw
Articles by Carla Rossouw
Earning more, taking home less: The hidden tax hike in this year’s Budget
For the second year in a row, Treasury has left personal income tax brackets and rebates unchanged – effectively handing South Africans a stealth tax in this...
2025 GNU Budget (round 2): Prioritising sustainable growth in uncertain times
After the false start of 19 February, the 2025 Budget was tabled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on 12 March. The main tax policy proposals announced...
How to maximise tax benefits in a two-pot era
The two-pot retirement system, which was implemented in September 2024, gives retirement fund members the ability to withdraw from the savings component of...
What you need to know about two-pot withdrawals and tax
The highly anticipated two-pot retirement system came into effect on 1 September 2024. There has been significant activity across the retirement fund industr...
2024 Budget: Walking a tightrope
The stage was set for a much-anticipated 2024 Budget speech during an election year.
Tap into tax benefits this February
The end of the tax year in February presents an opportunity to evaluate the tax efficiency of your financial plan. With many competing financial priorities i...
Offshore toolkit part 1: Understanding your tax obligations on leaving South Africa
In part 1 of our Offshore toolkit series, Carla Rossouw, head of Tax, untangles the tax complexities you may encounter when you end your tax residency and...
2023 Budget: A taxing balance
The 2023 Budget speech was delivered against the backdrop of high living costs, a dismal unemployment rate and intensive loadshedding crippling businesses, a...
Tax tips as we head into the 2023 tax season
The end of February sees the tax year draw to a close – an opportune time to ensure that your tax affairs, and tax details, are up to date, and to consider...
A responsible Budget signalling optimism
The high cost of living, fuelled by rising inflation, significant fuel price increases and a series of interest rate hikes (which are likely set to continue)...
How to maximise tax benefits before the end of February
In the spirit of tax season, Carla Rossouw, tax lead at Allan Gray, discusses how investors can make their money work harder using tax breaks. This is always...
Part 4: The role of financial advice in your investment success
You wouldn’t gamble with your health by not seeing a professional, why do it with your financial future? Consult an independent financial adviser to help you...
Part 3: How to maximise tax benefits before the end of the tax year
The end of February is the end of the tax year – a great time to take a close look at your investments and consider taking maximum advantage of the incentive...
Part 2: How can I earn higher investment returns and pay less tax?
It’s important to understand how taxes are applied in different investment products and how this ultimately impacts your investment returns.
Part 1: How to be more tax savvy
If, like most of us, you would like to see more return in your account and less in the hands of the tax man, it is important to engage with the details to...
Understand the new rules around citizenship, exchange control and tax residency
The concept of “emigration”, as recognised by the Financial Surveillance Department of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), has been phased out, with effec...
2021 Budget signals hope for SA taxpayers
Minimal tax measures aim to bring relief to taxpayers and bolster economy.
What can we expect from the 2021 Budget?
It is that time of the year again, we are holding our breath to see what the 2021 Budget speech will deliver against a backdrop of the devastating loss,...
Investing with tax benefits in mind during uncertain times
Amid the extreme uncertainty brought on by COVID-19 and the ongoing lockdown restrictions, investors are tasked with looking beyond the current crisis and...
Understand your total tax liability if you have multiple sources of income
If you have multiple sources of income, you must ensure that the correct tax rate is being applied by your employer and/or annuity provider – or you could be...
New tax laws for expats
The laws around tax for South Africans who live and work abroad have changed and it’s important to work out whether or not you are now expected to pay tax on...
2020 Budget speech update
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered the Budget speech on Wednesday, 26 February. In this document we highlight some of the 2020 Budget tax proposals that...
2020 Budget: Stuck between a rock and a hard place
A revenue shortfall of R50bn was announced in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) in October 2019, and this sets the scene for the 2020 Budget....
Make the most of your tax benefits
The South African Revenue Service (SARS) has put several tax incentives in place to encourage us to save more for our retirement and other long-term goals. Y...
To file or not to file a tax return
The South African Revenue Service’s (SARS’) 2019 tax season for non-provisional individual taxpayers officially started on 1 August 2019, with those filing v...
2019 Budget speech update
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni delivered his maiden budget speech on Wednesday 20 February. In this document we highlight some of the 2019 Budget tax proposal...
Budget 2019: Focus shifts to restoring credibility
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s maiden Budget Speech didn’t deliver any major punches such as 2018’s surprise 1% VAT hike, but instead sought to acknowledge...
VAT increase unavoidable
The Budget Speech delivered by Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba was a careful step in the right direction in an environment where hard decisions are...
How to maximise tax benefits before the end of the tax year
The end of February is the end of the tax year. Carla Rossouw explains why this is a good time to take maximum advantage of the incentives the government has...
What taxes do I pay when I invest offshore?
Investing offshore allows you to diversify and benefit from a broader universe of investment ideas, but what about the tax you may have to pay?As with any...
Tax season: Your top tax investment questions answered
Confused about how to report on your investments to SARS? With the 2017 tax season in full swing, now is the time to get your documents ready.
How to combat the budget pinch
Some weeks have passed since former Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s Budget speech, but we are only just beginning to feel the pinch. Carla Rossouw discusse...
2017 Budget speech update
The Minister of Finance announced amendments to tax and other legislation that may affect investors. These changes are discussed in detail below and, unless...
How to maximise tax benefits before the end of the tax year 2016
Every year at around this time – ahead of the end of the tax year in February – we remind investors to think about taking advantage of some of the incentives...
Read the fine print before you decide to withdraw or retire from your preservation fund
South Africans on average change jobs about five to seven times during their working lives. More than two-thirds do not preserve their retirement savings whe...
2016 Budget speech update
The Minister of Finance announced amendments to tax and other legislation that may affect investors.
More for the future you, less for the tax man
The tides are changing in the retirement savings space, with National Treasury encouraging us to save more for retirement by significantly increasing the tax...
Your minor children and the taxman
Investing on behalf of your children is a generous act of foresight and, if you can afford to do it, opens up future opportunities for them. Unit trusts are ...
Convert part of your tax bill into retirement savings
While the long-term benefit of saving for a secure retirement may be obvious, investors may not appreciate the extra tax boost available from saving in an...
Retirement fund withdrawals and tax
The 2014 National Budget introduced changes to the retirement tax table. From 1 March 2014, the tax-free amount members and beneficiaries can take as a lump...
Dividend Withholding Tax increases to 15%
During his recent budget speech, Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan, announced that Dividend Withholding Tax (DWT) will be levied at a rate of 15% when it is...
New Dividend Withholding Tax: how will it affect you?
As part of his February 2011 Budget speech, Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan announced that Dividend Withholding Tax would come into effect from 1 April...
Early withdrawals from your retirement savings can be taxing
In this article, Michael Summerton and Carla Rossouw provide an overview of how withdrawal and retirement benefits are taxed. They use practical examples to...
