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CommTax Advisory · Specialist Tax

When tax gets complicated, Advisory takes over.

CommTax Advisory is the specialist tax division of CommTax. SARS disputes, audits, structuring, customs and excise, diesel rebates, cross-border tax. Handled for any client, any size, locally or internationally.

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Definition

CommTax Advisory is the specialist tax division of CommTax.

Where Core and Accounting serve four defined South African client segments, Advisory has no audience boundary. We handle any client, of any size, on any kind of tax matter, locally or internationally. Wherever tax is technical, contested, or specialised, Advisory is built for it.

The Framework

CommTax Dispute Resolution Framework

Every SARS dispute, audit, and contested tax matter goes through the same five-stage framework: diagnosis first, strategy before any document is lodged, and a clear closing position at the end.

1

Diagnose

Review the SARS notice, assessment, or matter in full. Identify the technical position, procedural grounds, and deadlines.

2

Strategy

Construct the legal, technical, and procedural strategy. Decide the right route, object, appeal, request reasons, or alternative remedy.

3

Engage

Lodge the objection, dispute, or formal submission. Every document is technically grounded and submitted within prescribed time limits.

4

Negotiate

Manage the SARS interaction, additional information requests, calls with assessors, procedural correspondence, toward resolution.

5

Resolve

Close out the matter. Reduced assessment, settlement, or successful appeal. Records finalised and future compliance protected.

Most lost disputes are lost at Diagnose, not at appeal. The technical and procedural ground for the entire matter is set in the first stage. Get that wrong and the strongest substantive case can still fail. The framework exists to make sure that does not happen.
What Advisory Handles

The full range of specialist tax.

If the matter is technical, contested, or specialised, it sits inside Advisory.

Disputes

SARS dispute resolution

Objections, appeals, requests for reasons, and section 9 disputes. Lodged correctly under the Tax Administration Act.

Disputes

Audits & verifications

Structured handling of SARS audits and verification requests. Documents prepared, positions defended, scope managed.

Disputes

Penalty & interest disputes

Disputes against understatement penalties, additional tax, and interest charges. Grounds-based, not pleas.

Compliance

Voluntary disclosure programmes

VDP applications properly framed, technically grounded, and presented to SARS for full relief where available.

Structuring

Tax structuring & planning

Corporate, trust, and group structuring with the tax position designed in. Not retro-fitted compliance.

Structuring

Trust & group restructuring

Trust formation, restructure, group reorganisation. Asset protection, succession, and longevity planning.

International

Cross-border tax

Cross-border income, double tax considerations, withholding tax, treaty positions, and transfer pricing.

International

International tax advisory

International clients and South African clients with global exposure. Jurisdiction-flexible advisory.

Indirect

Customs & excise

Customs duties, excise duties, classification disputes, and rebate matters. Specialist technical work.

Indirect

Diesel rebates

Diesel rebate claims under Schedule 6 of the Customs and Excise Act, for qualifying primary production, mining, and other listed activities. Active matters in this space.

Indirect

Complex VAT advisory

VAT input claims, zero-rating positions, VAT on imported services, and disputes against VAT assessments.

Strategic

Tax opinions & rulings

Written tax opinions for transactions, structures, and strategic decisions. Binding rulings where appropriate.

Who Advisory Serves · No Boundary

Any client. Any matter. Locally or internationally.

Unlike Core and Accounting, CommTax Advisory is not built around a defined client segment. If the tax matter is technical, contested, or specialised, Advisory takes it, regardless of whether the client is an individual, a business, a trust, a corporate group, or based outside South Africa.

Individuals & HNW Clients South African Businesses International Clients Trusts & Trust Structures Corporate Groups Investors Cross-Border Operators
Indicative Outcomes

What the framework looks like in practice.

Anonymised matters that show the kind of work Advisory handles end-to-end.

Dispute Resolution

Commission earner, incorrect SARS auto-assessment

SARS issued an additional assessment treating commission paid to a financial advisor as fully taxable, ignoring legitimate deductions. Diagnose stage identified the procedural and technical position; objection lodged within the prescribed period.

Assessment reduced; original return position confirmed
Indirect Tax

Commercial farm, diesel rebate under Schedule 6

A commercial farming operation had been running without claiming the diesel rebate available under Schedule 6 of the Customs and Excise Act. Advisory mapped the qualifying primary production usage, prepared the historical claim with full supporting logbooks, and lodged with SARS.

Historical rebate recovered; ongoing claim process embedded
Structuring & Defence

Trust, distribution position defended on verification

SARS opened a verification on a multi-year trust distribution. Advisory ran the Diagnose stage, identified the technical defence under the Income Tax Act, and prepared the verification response with full supporting trust resolutions and tax computations.

Verification closed with no adjustment

Outcomes anonymised and presented for illustration. Every matter is unique, past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Advice is given only after the Diagnose stage of the Dispute Resolution Framework is complete.

Frequently Asked

Common questions about CommTax Advisory

If your question isn't answered here, the Waiting Room is the fastest way to reach us.

What does CommTax Advisory do?
CommTax Advisory is the specialist tax division of CommTax. We handle SARS disputes, objections and appeals, audits and verifications, tax structuring, customs and excise, diesel rebates, cross-border and international tax, and other technical tax matters. Wherever the tax position is technical or contested, Advisory is the right division.
Does CommTax Advisory only handle SARS disputes?
No. SARS dispute resolution is a strong part of our work, but CommTax Advisory handles the full range of specialist tax, structuring, planning, customs and excise, diesel rebates, VAT advisory, penalty and interest disputes, voluntary disclosure programmes, and tax opinions. Any matter where the tax position is technical or contested.
Can CommTax Advisory help with international or cross-border tax?
Yes. CommTax Advisory handles cross-border tax matters, international tax structuring, and clients with global exposure. The firm's underlying advisory capability is built for jurisdiction-flexible work, with South Africa as the primary base.
Does CommTax Advisory take clients from outside South Africa?
Yes. Unlike CommTax Core and CommTax Accounting, which are built around South African client segments, Advisory is set up to handle any client of any size, anywhere, locally or internationally.
What is the CommTax Dispute Resolution Framework?
The CommTax Dispute Resolution Framework is our five-stage process for handling SARS disputes, audits, and other tax matters: Diagnose, Strategy, Engage, Negotiate, Resolve. Every dispute matter goes through this framework, diagnosis first, strategy before any document is lodged with SARS.
How long does a SARS dispute take?
It depends on the matter and the SARS workload, but most objections are resolved within 60 to 120 days from lodgement. Appeals can take longer. Verifications and audits are usually faster than disputes. Timeline expectations are set during the Diagnose stage so there are no surprises.
Can I object to a SARS assessment myself?
Technically, yes. Practically, most self-lodged objections fail, not because the taxpayer is wrong on the substance, but because the objection is not framed correctly under the Tax Administration Act, the grounds are too general, or the deadlines are missed. SARS rejects technically deficient objections regardless of the underlying merits.
Does CommTax Advisory handle diesel rebates, customs, and excise?
Yes. Specialist tax matters such as diesel rebates, customs and excise duties, VAT input claims, and other indirect tax matters are core Advisory work. We currently have active matters in this space.
How is CommTax Advisory different from Core and Accounting?
CommTax Core and CommTax Accounting serve four defined South African client segments, commission earners, sole proprietors, high-income individuals, and SMEs. CommTax Advisory operates without those constraints. Advisory takes any client, any size, on any tax matter, locally or internationally.
How do I engage CommTax Advisory?
Enter the Waiting Room and provide a brief description of your matter, the SARS notice, the dispute, the structuring question, or the specialist tax issue. A member of the Advisory team will respond and set the Diagnose stage in motion.

Take the right step.

Whether it is a SARS notice, a dispute, a structuring question, or a specialist tax issue, start with the Waiting Room. Advisory takes it from there.

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