Dear Subscriber,

I hope you all had a restful Easter weekend. It is great to know that we have another long weekend coming up at the end of this month; another welcoming break to spend time with family and friends. For now, it´s back to the grindstone.

Our new media partner, the International Institute of Research (IIR) is hosting a three-day event in June on education and simplification of complex financial products. The event covers the identification of appropriate communication strategies to clarify complex messages and compliance with the legal requirements of the financial services industry as to avoid misleading your customers. Click here for full details on this event.

TAXtalk has 1 FREE delegate pass to give away to this event. All new subscribers between April and the end of May 2007 will be entered into this prize draw.

Tax Issues
The issue of labour brokers is a thorny one when it comes to tax. Next week, Tax Issues interviews Anton Lockem, tax manager of PriceWaterhouseCoopers who will discuss this matter on Summit TV (DSTV channel 55) on Monday at 20h40 and again at 22h40.

Get the TAXtalk Magazine delivered to your postal address, receive a weekly tax electronic newsletter and have 24 hours' access to download TAXtalk information and eBooks.

You can get all this by SUBSCRIBING to TAXtalk for R50.00 per month or R600.00 annually.

Subscribe online in less than two minutes.

Until next week.
Head of TAXtalk

All new ANNUAL subscribers who register with TAXtalk between 05 March 2007 and 07 June 2007 will be entered into the following prize draw.

A FREE Delegate pass (valued at R 10,500.00) to IIR´s (International Institute of Research) three-day symposium, for the first time ever in South Africa, on Education and Simplification of “Complex Financial Products” Click here for detailed information on this event.

Featuring presentations by experts from: Subscribe now and be entered into this fantastic prize draw.

Sanchia Temkin, Professional Services Editor - Business Day

THE South African Revenue Service (SARS) recently came under fire from the Gauteng Tax Court for “harassing” a taxpayer over a restraint-of-trade payment. The taxpayer, a chartered accountant, was employed as a structured finance specialist at a bank. She was approached by the CEO of the bank to enter into a restraint-of-trade agreement, which she agreed to in return for a payment of R1,1m.

Dee Bezuidenhout,Editor-in-chief, The Practical Vat Handbook - Fleet Street Publications

Everyone makes mistakes; after all, we`re only human. Some people shave their heads in a desperate yell for help (Britney Spears) while others hang their babies over the edge of the hotel room balcony in an idiotic show of their lack of parenting skills (Michael Jackson). Some people steal millions of rands from widows and orphans of deceased members of the Mineworkers Provident Fund (Arthur Brown and associates).

eTaxJobs is a global job portal exclusively for tax professionals, and an online resource for employers and recruitment firms to advertise their vacancies. eTaxjobs operate in the UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and around the World.

Available tax jobs for this week are:

• European Tax Manager, Kellogg's, Dublin, Ireland
• Manager, Income Tax International, Burger King, Miami, USA
• VP Tax Structuring, US Investment Bank, Stockholm, Sweden
• International Tax Manager, UK Listed Company, Luxembourg
• Senior Transfer Pricing Professional, NERA Economic Consulting, London, UK

Tax Risk Management

Following the example of most (if not all successful businesses) entrepreneurs usually surround themselves with the best advisors/consultants they can find in various areas. Their purpose is to give advice. The responsible parties in the business make the necessary decisions that flow from the advice. The advisors/consultants do not make the decisions. Tax is no different.

Tax Risk Management

SARS today is a very diverse organization, with an aim to focus at least 67% of its staffing towards compliance. That means 2 person teams, working in integrated groups that will attend to investigating, assessing and verifying their largest tax risk exposure: Large Corporations.

From personal individual tax to significant company tax changes - the subject is a hotly debated issue throughout South Africa's corporate environment. Tax Issues - every Monday at 20h40pm and again at 22h40pm - demystifies some of the latest developments and issues being discussed in the corridors of power. Tax Issues will cover; The impact of pending new tax laws on individuals and companies, The capital gains tax debate, New SARS initiatives to collect tax Changes to tax benefits, The VAT vs personal tax debate.

Brett Scott - The Perfect Portfolio

As most of our readers are well aware, the JSE has been an outstanding investment destination for hard earned wages since bottoming out in late April 2003. The total return on the market has been a whopping 298% or 42% annualized.

Do you have something to say? Do you have an area of interest or expertise that you believe is something you can contribute for the interest of our readers? Do you want to share your views with like-minded people?

If so, send your submissions by email to (janine@taxtalk.co.za), fax (27 11 476 5004) or post (P.O. Box 1650, Gallo Manor 2052) and be heard!

We will publish the best stories and viewpoints on our website &/or in our weekly newsletter.