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Implications of Securities Lending Arrangements and VAT Policy Changes: Official Publications and Penalties

  • A securities lending arrangement involves one person lending a security or instrument to another person who agrees to return a similar security or instrument.
  • Practice Note 5/1999 provided guidance on the tax implications of lending arrangements, including VAT.
  • Recent court decisions and analysis led to the withdrawal of a statement in PN 5/1999 regarding VAT on scrip-lending fees.
  • Binding General Ruling 62 clarified that scrip-lending fees under securities lending arrangements are exempt from VAT.
  • Concerns were raised about stakeholders’ readiness for the changes and transitional issues.
  • BGR 62 was published with an effective date of 1 April 2023 to allow time for adjustments.
  • Vendors can issue credit notes if they did not make the necessary changes in time and continued to charge VAT after 1 April 2023.
  • Issue 2 of BGR 62 clarified that credit notes cannot be issued for VAT levied on scrip lending fees before 1 April 2023.
  • Both PN 5/1999 and BGR 62 are considered official publications and their explanations of the law constitute a prevailing practice.
  • Vendors attempting to claim improper refunds will face penalties, interest, and understatement penalties.

Source: sars.gov.za

Note that this post was (partially) written with the help of AI. It is always useful to review the original source material, and where needed to obtain (local) advice from a specialist.

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