One of the stories that underpins the current wave of pessimism around our economy is farming. We read stories about: Farmers being murdered and driven off their land. The government plans to ban all foreign ownership of land. New ways are being sought to make it easier (and cheaper) for the expropriation of agrarian land. […]
A good news story: Farming is doing better than we think Read More »
“The devil’s in the detail” (wise old idiom) The “new” Companies Act (the Act) has some requirements which can easily be overlooked. They may seem to be minor and technical, but not complying with them could expose you to major risks. In our increasingly litigious society, it is important to be thorough. For example –
Company directors: Beware of the risks with resolutions Read More »
A novel and effective way of raising finance It is well known that finance is extremely hard to raise for small and medium sizes entities (SMEs). Banks are very conservative and prefer to deal with the larger, more established businesses. The venture capital market is small in South Africa and many SMEs fail due to
Startups and small businesses: Consider crowdfunding Read More »
Are you a Chartered Accountant in the making? Are you currently exploring your options with the view of signing a training contract to complete your articles? BGR Alluvium Incorporated offers the ideal environment specifically designated to assist you throughout your journey in becoming a CA. Primary objective: Training contract beginning in 2017, whereby you will
SAICA training contracts available Read More »
2016 Tax Season for Individuals is now open from 1 July 2016. During Tax Season, you need to submit your income tax return (ITR12) for SARS to reconcile the tax on your income and the tax-deductible expenses for the year of assessment (1 March 2015 – 29 February 2016). This may, in some cases, result
Tax Season 2016 for Individuals Read More »
In the Employment Equity Act (EAA) there is a wide definition of unfair discrimination which lists gender, race, religion and so on. Recently a phrase was tagged onto this discrimination clause which says “… or on any other arbitrary ground”. Recently, this phrase was relied on in a case of unfair discrimination against an employer.
Employers: Is it pay discrimination to differentiate on length of service? Read More »
Recently a minority shareholder in Lewis Stores applied to the Court to have four of its directors declared delinquent, an action which the directors are reportedly opposing and which is sure to provide an interesting case study on how corporate stakeholders can protect their interests. Stakeholders – your remedies The “new” Companies Act (it came
A warning : Shareholder activism is growing Read More »
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much” (Helen Keller) In our last article in the series “Choosing the right legal entity for your business” we looked at the sole proprietorship option. Let’s move on to the partnership option, where a group of business owners replaces the sole owner/trader. Firstly, what
Starting a business? The partnership option. Read More »
“Now is the winter of our discontent” (Shakespeare) The first thing to rise would be interest rates. If you have a mortgage bond or have financed a car, your monthly payments will rise. As a rough example, a bond of R500,000 would cost R837 more a month if interest rates increased by 2.5%. The next
Junk status I – How will it affect me? Read More »
Since “Nenegate”, the country has been fixated on avoiding being reduced to junk status by ratings agencies. Three agencies control 95% of the market and with Moody’s we are two notches above junk but with Fitch and with Standard and Poor’s, South Africa is just one notch above junk status. Being downgraded to junk will
Junk status II – Avoiding it is more than getting economics right Read More »
