At Fenns, we keep up with the latest developments in the accounting world, and now you can too. Stay informed with our monthly blog posts and newsletters, featuring insights, updates, and industry news.
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SARS Warning: Beware Scam Emails!
South Africans are expecting to hear from SARS, with Tax Season 2023 open since 7 July. Knowing this, cybercriminals will also be intensifying their email “phishing” attacks by sending emails that seem to come from SARS – often apparently notifying you of a tax refund or scaring you with outstanding debt or penalties – created to trick people into clicking on a link, sharing one-time pins (OTPs) or providing personal details.
Read on for more detail, advice on keeping safe, and useful links…

Tips for Getting out of Business Debt
As a business grows, owners may find they need to take out loans to build infrastructure, take on essential new employees, meet legal requirements or upgrade equipment to ensure future growth.
These moments can each feel necessary at the time, but if business owners are not careful, they may find themselves with more debt than they can reasonably manage. An inability to repay debts is a huge threat to business stability, and in the end, viability. Here are nine tips on how to get out from under crippling business debt.

The True Cost of an Employee
As they develop, businesses often need to take on new employees. The decision as to whether to do so will come down to business needs and the potential for growth compared with the cost of that new employee. Unfortunately, newer business owners can often hugely underestimate the true cost of that employee.
Monthly wages are just the first consideration when costing a new employee in this critical equation. Here are the things you need to factor in to work out the true cost of an employee.

Tax Season 2023 – What’s New and What’s Not
The 2023 Tax Season in South Africa opened officially on 7 July 2023 for individuals who are both non-provisional taxpayers and provisional taxpayers – as well as for trusts.
While much has stayed the same from last year, like the auto assessments introduced in 2022, there are also a number of changes this year – ranging from new deadlines to revised requirements briefly overviewed in the article.

Directors: Prepare and Submit Your Company’s Beneficial Ownership Register
Directors are now obliged to implement a detailed Beneficial Ownership Register for their companies and submit the register to CIPC. Such a register must also be maintained, with beneficial ownership changes recorded timeously and the validity of the information confirmed on an annual basis.

Ten Often-Overlooked Ways Your Accountant Can Help Your Business
From assisting with HR, to streamlining cashflow and getting involved with your business software, accountants can provide a wide range of services. We take a closer look at a number of the lesser-known abilities of accountants and reveal just how they may be able to help you more than you expect.

How to Prepare for a Possible Electricity Blackout
While the chances are low, many economists and politicians are even advising business leaders to prepare for the worst and make sure they are prepared for potential countrywide blackouts lasting weeks. Here are our tips for preparing your business to face days without electricity.

Is Your Information Safe With SARS?
The confidentiality of taxpayers’ information has been a cornerstone of tax systems, globally and in South Africa, as it provides taxpayers with peace of mind that the sensitive financial and highly personal information, they are obliged to disclose to tax authorities will not be made public.

Can the R&D Tax Incentive Benefit Your Business?
In this article, we unpack what the incentive aims to achieve and what it offers, how businesses can determine whether this research and development tax incentive applies to them, what the terms and conditions entail, and how to ensure your business can benefit while meeting all the requirements.

When to Say No to an Opportunity (or a “Barnacle”)
Knowing how to recognise a bad opportunity or when to turn down a good one is as important as any other aspect of your business. Choosing to take on an opportunity, which may not be right for your business can severely limit your future and foster unhappiness among staff, while making these calls correctly will help you to better define your brand and strengthen your business. Here’s how to recognise it’s time to say “no” to an opportunity.

How to Use AI to Improve Your Small Business
AI has been evolving at light speed and awareness of its various iterations has come on just as fast. But is Artificial Intelligence really all it’s cracked up to be and can it actually help businesses streamline operations and lower costs as promised?

New Trustee Duties: More Admin, Impossible Deadlines and Hefty Penalties
All trustees of all trusts now have new levels of administrative duties, with some of the impossible deadlines having already passed, exposing all trustees to harsh penalties including fines of up to R10 million or imprisonment for up to 5 years, or both.

