Case No: Vat 144
| Jurisdiction | South Africa |
| Judge | Waglay J |
| Judgment Date | 19 October 2005 |
| Docket Number | Not Available |
| Hearing Date | 19 October 2005 |
| Citation | 2006 JDR 0512 (CSpCrt) |
Waglay J:
Appellant is a major life insurance company in South Africa and its main activity is the provision of life insurance to both local and international recipients. In terms of section 2(1)(i), read together with section 12(a) of the Value-Added Tax Act, No 89 of 1991 (the Act), the local supply of life
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Waglay J
insurance policies is exempt from value-added tax (VAT), whilst the international supplies thereof are zero-rated.
Appellant makes use of various overseas consultants and other suppliers of services, eg. business advisors and computer services, and contends that where such services, with the exception of telecommunication services, have been physically rendered outside of South Africa, no VAT is/was payable as the Act allows for the zero rating thereof. The Commissioner for the South African Revenue Service (the Respondent), however, contends that Appellant had received "imported services" as defined in section 1 of the Act and accordingly raised assessments for VAT on such services to the extent that such services were used or consumed in the Republic otherwise than for the purpose of making taxable supplies.
This then is an appeal against the VAT assessments raised by the Respondent in respect of the months of December 1997, December 1998, September 2000, June 2000 and December 2001.
The issue in dispute as recorded earlier is whether certain "imported services" of which Appellant was the recipient are zero-rated or subject to the standard rate of VAT.
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Waglay J
s7 of the Act, which is the relevant section dealing with the imposition of VAT, sets out the rate of VAT and the three categories of persons who are liable for VAT. With regard to the imposition and the rate of VAT, s7 provides:
"7. Imposition of value-added tax.-(1) Subject to the exemptions, exceptions, deductions and adjustments provided for in this Act, there shall be levied and paid for the benefit of the National Revenue Fund a tax, to be known as the value-added tax-
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calculated at the rate of 14 per cent on the value of the supply concerned or the importation, as the case may be."
The three categories of persons liable for VAT are:
the vendor who supplies goods or services in the course of his enterprise (s7(1)(a));
the person who imports goods into South Africa - on the value of the imported goods (s7(1)(b)); and
the person who imports services on the value of the imported services (s7(1)(c)).
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Waglay J
The terms "vendor, "enterprise" and "imported services" are defined in the Act as follows:
a "vendor" means "any person who is required to be registered under this Act . . . ."
"enterprise" is defined as ". . . activity which is carried on continuously or regularly by any person in the Republic or partly in the Republic and in the course of furtherance of which goods or services are supplied to any other person for a consideration . . . ." and
"imported services" is defined to mean "a supply of services that is made by a supplier who is resident or carries on business outside the Republic to a recipient who is a resident of the Republic to the extent that such services are utilized or consumed in the Republic otherwise than for the purpose of making taxable supplies."
The definition of "imported services" excludes any supply for use or consumption by a South African recipient in making taxable supplies. This exclusion arises because a recipient of a service who has acquired the service for making taxable supplies will in any event be entitled to claim the attributable VAT as an input credit and offset it against the output tax. The effect of imposing VAT would therefore be neutral. If however, the recipient of the service in South Africa does not make taxable supplies he
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Waglay J
could not charge VAT and would therefore have no output tax against which the VAT payable for the service could be offset. In order to negative the advantage that a recipient of services will obtain where the services are VAT free because the services were obtained from a non-resident supplier, VAT is levied on the local recipient of "imported services" in terms of s7(1)(c).
Where an "enterprise" provides services it is obliged to register in terms of the Act and the charge to its customers will bear VAT, irrespective of the fact that the services may be of short duration. If a foreign service provider, who does not fall within the definition of "enterprise" and is not required to be registered in terms of the Act, were to provide short-term services to a South African recipient there would be no VAT chargeable. Where the South African recipient of the services from either the "enterprise" or the foreign service provider is registered for VAT, the fact that the recipient will be charged VAT is irrelevant because the South African recipient would be able to neutralize the VAT charged to it on the basis of input credit. Where the South African recipient is not registered for VAT - typically those institutions that do not make taxable supplies such as, for example the Appellant - the VAT charged by the "enterprise" becomes a cost because no input credit can be claimed. The services provided by a foreign service provider will therefore by cheaper because there would be no VAT charged on the costs of the services provided. Stated differently: If a foreign specialist is employed to provide research to
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Waglay J
a South African company the foreignor's charge would be subject to VAT in terms of s7(1)(c). Absent s7(1) (c) the foreign service would attract no VAT. If a South African resident provides the services, the VAT would be charged such that in the absence of s7(1) (c), the South African supplier would be placed at a disadvantage.
While s7 deals with the imposition of VAT both in respect of who is liable for it as well as the rate of VAT, s11 sets out certain qualifications and s12 exemptions from the payment of VAT. In terms of s11 of the Act the supply of certain goods and supplies is subject to VAT at a zero-rate and in terms of s12 of the Act the supply of certain goods and services is exempt from VAT. Although no VAT is payable in either of these instances there is an important distinction in that the supply of exempted goods and services does not constitute the carrying on of an "enterprise", with the result that a supplier of exempted goods and services is not required to register for VAT and cannot claim input credits. In contrast, a supplier whose business involves the supply of zero-rated goods and services carries on an "enterprise" and...
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