How Does the 2016 Budget Speech Affect Property Sales?

In the 2016 Budget recently delivered by Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, it was announced that our current taxes on wealth are under review by the Davis Committee.

This is according to Simone Immelman, Director in Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr's Real Estate Practice, who says although the calculation of transfer duty in respect of transactions with a property value under R10 million has not been affected, a further tax bracket has been implemented in respect of the transfer duty rate on the portion of the property value above R10 million, which will increase from 11% to 13%.

With effect from 1 March 2016, transfer duty will therefore be payable at the following rates on transactions that are not subject to VAT:

Immelman says transfer duty payable in respect of property transactions where the underlying agreements were concluded on or after 1 March 2016 will therefore be subject to the new transfer duty provisions, and will be calculated as per the above table.

Agreements concluded prior to 1 March 2016 will still be subject to the calculation of transfer duty based on the previous tax dispensation, notwithstanding that the date of fulfilment of suspensive conditions in terms of such agreements, or the registration of the transfers of the properties under those agreements may occur after 1 March 2016, she says.

“The Minister stated that higher capital gains inclusion rates and measures to strengthen the estate duty and donations tax are also proposed,” says Immelman.