‘n Kritiese ontleding van die inkomstebelastinghantering van voortydige beeindigingsboetes ingevolge huurooreenkomste

Date
2012-03
Authors
Badenhorst, David Frederick
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Leases are common phenomena in the South African and international business arena. Leasing is a popular and often cheaper method to obtain the use of property without the property being acquired. Included in property is immovable, movable, tangible and intangible property. The premature termination of lease agreements are also a common phenomenon in the South African and international business arena. When a lease is terminated prematurely, it is currently the practice that the person who terminates the lease agreement has to pay a termination penalty to the other party of the lease agreement. A lease agreement can however be terminated by either the lessee or the lessor. When both the paying and receiving parties assess their income tax liabilities, they may be confronted with the issue of how the payment or receipt of the termination penalty should be treated for income tax purposes. In practice there currently exists uncertainty whether the penalty should be treated as revenue- or capital in nature. The nature of this penalty depends on the background facts and must be judged individually on the basis of the guidelines approved by the courts laid down with respect to the issue of income versus capital. For this issue to be satisfactorily answered, the income tax treatments of lease termination penalties in Australia, Canada and the United States of America are investigated. The purpose of this study is to find guidelines, tools and principles to be used in a South African context, which may lead to the efficient and careful handling of lease termination penalties for South African tax purposes. The treatment of a lease termination penalty under current South African tax legislation is also studied.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Huurooreenkomste is alledaagse verskynsels in die Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale sakesektor. Dit is gewilder en dikwels goedkoper vir besighede om eiendom te huur, eerder as om dit te koop, om sodoende die gebruik van die eiendom te bekom. Ingesluit by eiendom wat gehuur word is onroerende-, roerende-, tasbare- en ontasbare eiendom. Die voortydige beëindiging van huurooreenkomste is ook „n alledaagse verskynsel in die Suid-Afrikaanse en internasionale sakesektor. Waar ‟n huurooreenkoms voortydig beëindig word, is dit tans die praktyk dat die persoon wat die huurooreenkoms beëindig „n beëindigingsboete moet betaal aan die ander party in die huurooreenkoms. Die huurooreenkoms kan egter deur óf die huurder óf die verhuurder beëindig word. Wanneer beide die betalende party en die ontvangende party se inkomste-belastingaanspreeklikhede bereken word, kan hulle gekonfronteer word met die vraag oor hoe om die betaling of ontvangste van die beëindigingsboete vir inkomstebelasting-doeleindes te hanteer. Daar bestaan tans in die praktyk onsekerheid of die betaling of die ontvangste van hierdie beëindigingsboete kapitaal of inkomste van aard is. Die vraag of die betaling of ontvangste inkomste of kapitaal van aard is, hang dikwels af van die agtergrondfeite en moet elkeen individueel beoordeel word aan die hand van die riglyne wat reeds deur die howe neergelê is rondom inkomste teenoor kapitaal. Ten einde die vraagstuk bevredigend te beantwoord, word ondersoek ingestel na die inkomstebelastinghantering van beëindigingsboetes in Australië, Kanada en die Verenigde State van Amerika. Die doel van hierdie ondersoek is om potensiële riglyne, hulpmiddels of beginsels te identifiseer wat binne ‟n Suid-Afrikaanse konteks toegepas kan word en wat kan lei tot die effektiewe en deurdagte hantering van beëindigingsboetes vir Suid-Afrikaanse inkomstebelastingdoeleindes. Verder word die inkomstebelastinghantering van beëindigingsboetes ingevolge huidige bestaande Suid-Afrikaanse inkomstebelasting-wetgewing ondersoek.
Description
Thesis (MAcc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
Keywords
Leases -- South Africa, Lease termination penalties -- Taxation -- South Africa
Citation