It’s that time of year when you really want to tidy up your accounts, shut the laptop and head to the hills. However, there is one thing we’d like to remind you about before you go. Your UK tax return online submission deadline is 31 January 2018. We can only imagine this news lands in..
Continue reading…
Five points to consider when approaching your online tax return
Posted on Leave a comment
Rand turbo-boosted in the wake of Ramaphosa win
Posted on Leave a comment
The Rand enjoyed broad stability for most of last week and in fact gained on all of the G10 currencies leading up to the ANC elective conference over the weekend. The Ramaphosa result helped it kick on from Monday. The rally was aided in part by a weaker US Dollar, although it advanced far further..
Continue reading…
Which countries provide free education at a university level?
Posted on Leave a comment
Jacob Zuma will be leaving the ANC with one hell of a task to complete. The outgoing president is doing everything he can to ensure free education is made available to South African university students. His plans are controversial, to say the least. He hasn’t yet revealed the sources of funding for the project, which..
Continue reading…
Disguised remuneration settlement opportunity in the UK
Posted on Leave a comment
The new measure will introduce a loan charge on disguised remuneration avoidance schemes that remain unpaid on 5 April 2019. These types of schemes (including contractor loans) are used by employers and individuals and seek to avoid paying income tax and NICs. This is usually done by utilising a loan or other payment from a..
Continue reading…
Cyril’s backers crack the Rand’s multi-month slump
Posted on Leave a comment
With the two-horse ANC presidential race beginning to lean in favour of Cyril Ramaphosa, the market is starting to price in his victory and the Rand is firming up. This was compounded with the news that South Africa managed to dodge a bullet when Moody’s decided to postpone our credit rating downgrade until the political..
Continue reading…
Haven for South Africans in Rotterdam
Posted on Leave a comment
The Koningskerk in Rotterdam is a Dutch protestant church situated at the Koningshaven (King’s Harbour). All South Africans visiting South Holland or living there will feel at home in this Dutch congregation with its strong ties to South Africa. Rotterdam is Europe’s gateway to the world; therefore the Koningskerk is a haven for anyone visiting..
Continue reading…
Europe – in or out?
Posted on Leave a comment
The hectic Brexit debate All over the country, in restaurants, pubs, offices and trains, the in or out question is openly, eagerly and often anxiously discussed. There has been endless speculation about how a European exit would influence house prices, interest rates, the banking sector, security, immigration, the NHS, scientific research, the arts and even..
Continue reading…
When does a tourist become a traveller?
Posted on Leave a comment
To be a tourist is almost as bad as to be a terrorist, some smart people say. Tourists are eating, swallowing, consuming zombies who visit attractions and leave a place without understanding a thing about it. A traveller, on the other hand, will drink in the local culture like a connoisseur. Recently, I was a..
Continue reading…
The Treaty of Waitangi gets Afrikaans translation!
Posted on Leave a comment
A major event of great importance for South Africans and Afrikaans especially has occurred the previous weekend in New Zealand. New Zealand’s ground document, the Treaty of Waitangi, or the Tiriti o Waitangi, is now officially available in Afrikaans. In fact, it is now available in 30 more languages than the two (and English) that..
Continue reading…
A HEAVY matter – what one should take along and what should be left behind
Posted on Leave a comment
When travelling or migrating, one of the most difficult questions is what one should take along and what should be left behind. Sometimes emotions prevail and what you decide on, will be of little use when you eventually arrive at your destination. Windows and beds, for example, are not the same standard size all over..
Continue reading…