Regspraak: When Caesar must pay, Caesar must pay – the withholding of tax refunds by the South African Revenue Service

Die Suid-Afrikaanse Inkomstediens (SAID) is verantwoordelik vir die administrasie en invordering van belasting. Ten einde hierdie mandaat effektief te verwesenlik, het die SAID verreikende magte kragtens Deel 1 van die Wet op die Suid-Afrikaanse Inkomstediens 34 van 1997. Dit gebeur dikwels dat belastingbetalers meer aan die SAID betaal as die verskuldigde belasting of dat terughoudingsagente, soos werkgewers of die betalers van rente, dividende ensovoorts, meer as die verskuldigde belasting invorder en oorbetaal aan die SAID. Dit veroorsaak ’n situasie waar die SAID die oortollige bedrag aan die belastingbetaler moet terugbetaal. Artikel 190 van die Wet op Belastingadministrasie 28 van 2011, wat gemoeid is met die terugbetalings van oorbetalings, bepaal dat die SAID ’n terugbetaling, wat rente insluit, moet maak indien ’n persoon geregtig is op die terugbetaling omdat die bedrag behoorlik terugbetaalbaar is kragtens ’n belastingwet en dit so aangetoon word in ’n aanslag of die bedrag wat betaal is meer is as die bedrag betaalbaar volgens die aanslag. Die SAID hoef egter nie ’n terugbetaling te magtig totdat ’n verifikasie, inspeksie, oudit of strafregtelike ondersoek van die terugbetaling afgehandel is nie. In die Rappa Resources-saak het die hof die situasie oorweeg waar ’n belastingbetaler geregtig was op ’n terugbetaling vanaf die SAID, maar die SAID nie die terugbetaling tydig gemaak het nie omrede die belastingbetaler aan ’n oudit onderworpe was. Die hof het bevind dat die SAID die oudit onnodig vertraag het, wat daartoe gelei het dat die terugbetaling weerhou is. As sulks het die hof bevind dat die SAID die terugbetaling moet maak en die oudit binne ’n redelike tyd moet afhandel. Die hof het egter onbehoorlike klem op die besigheidsmodel van die belastingbetaler geplaas toe dit bevind het dat wanneer die SAID ’n terugbetaling weerhou in gevalle waar dit noodsaaklik is vir die besigheidsmodel van ’n belastingbetaler, soos in hierdie geval, die oudit nie ’n onbepaalde tyd kan neem om gefinaliseer te word nie. In ’n ander saak, Top Watch (Pty) Ltd v The Commissioner of the South African Revenue Service (2018 JDR 1311 (GJ)) het die hof bevind dat die SAID nie kon bewys dat daar ’n uitstaande skuld was nie en daarom kon die SAID nie die terugbetaling weerhou nie. Hierdie vonnisbespreking wys op die SAID se versuim om die behoorlike proses ten opsigte van terugbetalings te volg, die onregverdigheid wat so ’n weerhouding vir belastingbetalers inhou en die rol wat die belastingombudkantoor gespeel het om belastingbetalers by te staan om verskuldigde terugbetalings vanaf die SAID te verkry. Dit dui verder op die SAID se inbreukmaking op belastingbetalers se reg tot finaliteit; die nadelige gevolge wat die weerhouding van terugbetalings op belastingbetalers het; en illustreer, met behulp van ’n vergelykende analise, dat die SAID se verontagsaming van die reg, wat blyk praktyk te wees vir dié belasting invorderaar, heeltemal onregverdigbaar is. Die kort vergelykende analise dui daarop dat die statutêre bepalings nie té beperkend of té problematies vir die SAID is nie.

PENGEMBALIAN PENDAHULUAN KELEBIHAN PAJAK SEBAGAI ALTERNATIF MEMBANTU CASHFLOW PT CONTINENTAL PANJIPRATAMA PADA MASA PANDEMI COVID-19

Tax refunds aim to return tax overpayments in accordance with applicable regulations, where the excess tax is theright of the taxpayer. The government has an obligation to return the excess tax that is not owed from the taxpayer.There are two methods of restitution, namely restitution by conducting a tax audit first and restitution of preliminaryrefunds of overpayment of taxes only by doing research. Special preliminary refunds are given to certain taxpayerswho meet the stipulated criteria or obedient taxpayers who have fulfilled their tax obligations well and have lowrisk. During this COVID-19 pandemic, taxpayers are trying to get a preliminary restitution facility because inaddition to just doing research, the disbursement of excess tax payments by the government is also accelerated, eventhe government through the Job Creation Law has issued relaxations related to restitution. The accelerateddisbursement of excess tax payments greatly helps the company's cashflow so that it can survive the drought offinancial liquidity as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The method used is to provide counselingand assistance in meeting the requirements set by the government, so that the application for a preliminary refundof the overpayment of taxes can be received and processed quickly in accordance with applicable regulations. Toexpedite and speed up the preliminary testing process in increasing the company's cashflow, I, as a lecturer atTarumanagara University, Faculty of Economics, Accounting Department, carried out counseling and assistance inthe accounting and tax department with the title "Preliminary Refund of Excess Taxes as an Alternative to Help PTContinental Panjipratama Cashflow During the Covid-19 Pandemic.Restitusi pajak bertujuan untuk mengembalikan kelebihan pembayaran pajak, sesuai dengan peraturan yang berlaku,dimana kelebihan pajak tersebut merupakan hak daei wajib pajak. Pemerintah mempunyai kewajiban untukmengembalikan kelebihan pajak yang tidak terutang dari wajib pajak. ada dua metode restitusi yaitu restitusi dengandilakukan pemeriksaan pajak terlebih dahulu dan restitusi pengembalian pendahuluan kelebihan pembayaran pajakhanya dengan dilakukan penelitian saja. Restitusi pendahuluan khusus diberikan kepada wajib pajak tertentu, yangmemenuhi kreteria yang ditetapkan atau wajib pajak patuh yang telah memenuhi kewajiban perpajakan secara baikdan memiliki resiko yang rendah. Pada masa pandemic covid-19 ini, para wajib pajak berusaha mendapatkanfasilitas restitusi pendahuluan karena selain hanya dilakukan penelitian saja, pencairan kelebihan pembayaran pajakoleh pemerintah juga dipercepat bahkan pemerintah melalui Undang-Undang Cipta Kerja mengeluarkan relaksasiberkaitan restitusi. Pencairan kelebihan pembayaran pajak dipercepat sangat membantu cashflow perusahaan supayadapat bertahan menghadapi kekeringan likuiditas keuangan sebagai dampak dari hantaman pandemi covid-19.Metode yang dipakai dengan memberikan penyuluhan dan pendampingan dalam memenuhi persyaratan yang telahditetapkan oleh pemerintah, supaya permohonan pengembalian pendahuluan kelebihan pembayaran pajak dapatditerima dan diproses secara cepat sesuai dengan ketentuan yang berlaku. Untuk memperlancar dan mempercepatproses testitusi pendahuan dalam meningkatkan cashflow perusahaan maka saya selaku dosen UniversitasTarumanagara Fakultas Ekonomi Jurusan Akuntansi melaksanakan penyuluhan dan pendampingan di bagianakuntansi dan pajak dengan judul “Pengembalian Pendahuluan Kelebihan Pajak Sebagai Alternatif MembantuCashflow PT Continental Panjipratama Pada Masa Pandemi Covid-19.

NETHERLANDS SEEKING FOR A NEW BALANCE IN THE INTERNATIONAL TAXATION

The article examines the combination of the Netherlands’ departure from the role of a transit jurisdiction for capital from all over the world and their struggle to attract the headquarters of multinational companies, including those migrating from the UK due to Brexit. It is shown that these processes are due to both fundamental reasons and the current need of countries for tax refunds to replenish their budgets to cover the consequences of the pandemic crisis. The author comes to the conclusion that the restructuring of the rules of international tax regulation which is going on now, may cause clashes of countries’ interests and strategies, which is illustrated by the example of the breakdown of the Agreement on the avoidance of double taxation between Russia and the Netherlands.

Analysis of Value-Added Tax Restitution on Exports at PT Rama global in 2019

PT Rama Global is a trading company that carries out preliminary restitution under certain conditions. The purpose of this paper is to find out how the preliminary restitution with certain requirements in the context of tax planning is carried out by PT. Rama Global, how are the obstacles faced in making tax refunds, and what efforts are being made to deal with these obstacles. The method used is a qualitative method with data collection techniques, namely interviews, observation, documentation, and triangulation. Based on observations, PT Rama Global is an export company that input tax is greater than the output tax. PT Rama Global chose to restitute the tax with preliminary restitution, but there will be some refunds that cannot be withdrawn, so PT Rama Global confirms the transaction with the counterparty.

The Cum-ex Case: A Look at Germany

This paper focuses on a particular form of stock-market trades around ex-dividend days, so-called “cum-ex” transactions, which have resulted in major revenue losses due to illegitimate tax refunds in Germany and other European nations. Until 2012, the loophole in the German withholding tax scheme made it possible for cum-ex traders to receive withholding-tax certificates without prior withholding-tax payment. Because a certain category of investors might use the tax certificates to gain a tax exemption, this opened up the prospect of a particular form of tax arbitration. It was not until 2018 that a cross-border investigation team called the Cum-Ex Files revealed the scandal to its full extend.This paper will mainly focus on the cum-ex scandal in Germany since the literature on the topic is very limited.

Tax Loss Carrybacks as Firm Fiscal Stimulus: A Tale of Two Recessions

This paper studies effects of the five-year net operating loss carryback enacted near the end of the 2001 and 2007-09 U.S. recessions-a policy that gave firms larger U.S. federal tax refunds as a fiscal stimulus measure. Following the end of the 2001 recession, I find the policy had little effect on firm financial conditions and I find that firms allocated $0.40 of every refund dollar to investment in that period. In contrast, the policy improved firm financial conditions following the 2007-09 recession, reducing bankruptcy risk and the probability of future credit-rating downgrades. In this period, I find that firms initially used the refunds to increase cash holdings before paying down debt in the following year. These results highlight the importance of considering macroeconomic conditions when studying firm uses of tax-related cash flow and the related effects on firm financial health.

Asymmetric Consumption Smoothing

Analyzing account-level data from an account aggregator, we find that households increase consumption when they receive expected tax refunds, as if they face liquidity constraints. However, these same households smooth consumption when making payments in other years, primarily by transferring funds among liquid accounts. Even households carrying credit card debt smooth consumption when making payments, and even highly liquid households spend out of refunds. This behavior is inconsistent with pure liquidity constraints or hand-to-mouth behavior and is most consistent with a mental accounting life-cycle model. (JEL D12, E21, G51, H24, H31)

The Essence and Architectonics of the Fiscal Space of the State

Introduction. The objective civilizational processes of modern times transform national economies, significantly influence the formation of a new paradigm of state development as a competitive participant in interstate communications in the global dimension. The financial relations in the state, which are the result of its financial policy, take place in the search for coherence of the interests of its internal subjects. Taxpayers are trying to reduce the tax burden, citizens need quality public goods as a fair result of tax refunds, and the state is trying to effectively replenish resources, the main source of which is taxes, to fulfill its functions and develop competitive participation in the interstate communications of the globalized world. Under these conditions, the fiscal space is formed, the essence of which still remains unclear. Purpose. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive substantiation of the theoretical foundations of the essence and architecture of the fiscal space of Ukraine. Results. It has been proved that the transformation of the fiscal space of the state is a systematic change in the essential properties of the environment of interaction between the subjects of fiscal policy, aimed at effective mobilization of budget revenues and their rational use to obtain a positive impact on socio-economic development and welfare. It has been substantiated that the fiscal space belongs to the components of the public finance system, including revenues, expenditures and borrowings. Conclusions. In our opinion, the main idea of the transformation of the fiscal space is in two equally important areas: its effective formation for the allocation of additional financial resources and effective use to increase the efficiency of reasonable areas of budget expenditures. In these interconnected processes, a balance is sought between the divergent interests of the state and taxpayers as the main subjects in the fiscal space. This balance can be achieved on the basis of established public trust, which is an important indicator of a harmonious society.

PENERAPAN GOOD GOVERNANCE TERHADAP PELAYANAN BEA PEROLEHAN HAK ATAS TANAH DAN BANGUNAN DI BADAN PENDAPATAN DAERAH KABUPATEN KUTAI TIMUR

This study intend to determine the extent of the application of the principles of good governance and also know what are the obstacles in the process of applying these principles. This study was implemented in the revenue agency of the East Kutai Regency.To support the study, a sample of ten people was taken, five people are office employees and five people are taxpayer. The method used in this study is the interview method, then the type of research is descriptive qualitative. Based on the results of study with a focus on rule of law, transparent, responsive, equity and accountability, conclusions can be drawn. Law enforcement has been implemented quite well and has been carried out accordingly. Services provided by the revenue agency have been carried out directly and openly to the public, The officers in providing services are good enough, it can be seen from the attitude of the officers are quite friendly, helping to complete the lack of copies of community files and other things in providing services, the ongoing service does not differentiate the management of files, all files are processed according to the type of files obtained, and The Office is always responsible for all types of file acquisition in the event of payment errors such as underpayment or overpayment of taxes. As for the constraints, in accordance with the focus of study there are often misunderstandings of the public regarding applicable regulations, sometimes the officer is not in place when the service is in progress, lack of information regarding the period of completion of the files obtained, and a matter of time if there is an overpayment of tax refunds.