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Stats SA – Census 2021 – Using Technology – Our New Normal

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will conduct a population count in 2021, Census 2021. This will be the fourth population count in post-apartheid South Africa. A census is the largest undertaking by a statistical agency, where everyone in the country is counted. The data collected during a census is used for planning, policy and evidence based decision-making. Census data also provides content for a wide variety of programs and services used by different structures and communities across the country. According to the Statistics Act (Act No.6 of 1999), a census in South Africa should be conducted every five years. However, a decennial census is undertaken and in between censuses, a large scale survey called the Community Surveys is conducted every five years.

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Filing Season 2020 – SARS Will Be Calling Taxpayers

With the intention of making it easier to comply with tax obligations, SARS is embarking on an outbound call campaign to assist taxpayers to file their tax returns virtually, either by a telephone or video call.

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CIPC Releases A Directors Quick Reference Guide

CIPC has released a quick reference guide designed to highlight specifically, although not exclusively, critical issues of the Companies Act No. 71 of 2008 that a director should be aware of. The central message of this guide, which is divided into 10 basic markers, is that a director of a company when acting in that capacity:

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Business for South Africa (B4SA) – A plan to Kick-start Growth Inclusive Economic Growth

When Covid-19 arrived in the country at the beginning of March 2020, it was evident from the experience of other countries that this would have significant health, economic and social ramifications for South Africa. Government, fully supported by business and other societal stakeholders, took swift action and the resulting lock-down provided time to prepare the health care system for patient volumes which it was ill-equipped to handle, and to slow the spread of the virus.

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Reserve Bank Economic Outlook

Since the May meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread globally, with wide-ranging and deep social and economic effects. Current forecasts from the IMF show global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracting by about 4.9% this year. The deepest contractions are expected in the second quarter of 2020, with gradual recoveries in the third and fourth quarters of the year. The strength of the global economic recovery will depend in part expectations of future growth in investment and productivity.

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IMF Executive Board Approves US$4.3 Billion Loan

The IMF Executive Board has approved South Africa’s request for emergency financial support under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) for an amount of US$4.3 billion to help the country mitigate the adverse social and economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The COVID-19 Shock and The Revised Economic Outlook

The global shock prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and unprecedented restrictions designed to protect public health, have led to a sharp contraction in the domestic economy. Government interventions have cushioned the impact on workers and businesses, but have not offset the full decline. South Africa’s economic growth is forecast to fall by 7.2 per cent in 2020 as a result of the crisis, the March and April 2020 credit rating downgrades, and the compounding effects of weak investor confidence. The economic outlook is highly uncertain.

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The Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPI)

On the 17th of June, President Ramaphosa signed the final enabling legislation to finally give effect to POPI with effect from 1st July 2020. Although it comes into full force, businesses have until the end of June 2021 to comply with the ACT.

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Covid -19 Alert Level 3 Tourism Sector Measures

The past two months of lockdown have been difficult for the tourism sector. Many businesses in the sector fighting for survival and projections showed that almost 600 000 jobs were at risk if the sector doesn’t come into operation by September 2020. This reality led to both government and private sector working together to be both innovative and putting protocol guidelines to get the sector back into operation.

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COVID-19 – LEVEL 3 WORKPLACE REGULATIONS

All persons who are able to work from home must do so. However, persons will be permitted to travel to and from work and for work purposes under Alert Level 3, subject to-

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Director's Role Amidst The Covid-19 Pandemic

The director’s role has without a doubt become more onerous amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Companies Act makes provision for operating in a virtual world, which includes, inter alia:

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Alert System: Levels 1 - 5

Below is a table of the 5 different levels from the Alert System and what restrictions would be implemented depending on the severity level:

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Post-Lockdown: General Exclusions

Post the national lockdown, there will be a few restrictions that will stay in place regardless of the level of alert in any given period:

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Risk-Adjusted Strategy For Economic Activity

Though the national lockdown has shown early evidence on how it has successfully helped to flatten the curve and limit the spread of Covid-19, there are numerous risks if the lockdown is lifted too quickly or without any strategy.

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Further Tax Measures To Combat The Covid-19 Pandemic

In line with the President’s address to the nation on 21 April 2020, the Minister of Finance has provided more detail on the second set of measures that aim to assist individuals and businesses through the pandemic. The interventions include:

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Tax Measures To Combat The Covid-19 Pandemic

The Minister of Finance has announced the following exceptional tax measures as part of the fiscal package outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 23 March 2020 in his speech on the Escalation of Measures to Combat COVID-19. These measures are over and above the tax proposals made in the 2020 Budget on 26 February 2020. The tax adjustments are made in light of the National State of Disaster and due to the significant and potentially lasting negative impacts on the economy from the spreading of the COVID-19 virus. There is a critical need for government interventions to assist with job retention and assist businesses that may be experiencing significant distress. These measures include:

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