'n Innoverende ondernemingsregtelike opsie in die VSA : die aanspreeklikheidsbeperkende maatskappy

• Pages: 103-130
• DOI: 10.10520/EJC51191
• Author: J.J. Henning,E. Snyman-van Deventer
• Date: 01 January 2004
• Published date: 01 January 2004

E Snyman-Van Deventer & JJ Henning

’n Innoverende ondernemingsregtelike

opsie in die VSA: die

aanspreeklikheidsbeperkende

maatskappy

An innovative new organisational option in the USA: the

Limited Liability Company

The first steps towards a statute on limited liability companies (LLC) was already

taken in 1975 and in 1977. However, the LLC only flourish years later when the

Internal Revenue Services (IRS) ruled in Revenue Ruling 88-76 that a Wyoming

LLC would be treated as a partnership for tax purposes and by the fall of 1996 all

fifty states and the District of Columbia recognized LLCs. The rise of the LLC from

obscurity to its present position as a viable, mainstream alternative to the

corporation or partnership was met with enormous enthusiasm by the business

community and the practising bar. The reason for this is that the LLC is the first

statutory business form to offer entrepreneurs limited liability, pass-through tax

treatment and a decentralized governance structure among co-ventures which are

uniquely flexible.

The Internal Revenue Code prescribes various classifications eg associations,

partnerships and trusts, into which a business enterprise must fit for tax purposes.

Whether an enterprise is taxed as a corporation or as a partnership depends on

whether it has more corporate characteristics than partnership characteristics. The

corporate characteristics are eg having associates, an objective to carry on

business and divide the profits and losses thereof, continuity of life, centralization

of management, liability for corporate debts limited to corporate property and free

transferability of interests. The partnership as form of business enterprise also

includes some of these characteristics eg objective to carry on business for a

profit. Because of these similarities, the IRS rules that the characteristics that are

in common to both forms are not to be used to determine which form prevails.Thus

the IRS considers four basic factors when determining whether an LLC will be

treated as a partnership for income tax purposes, namely limited liability, continuity

of life, free transferability of interest and centralised management. An LLC must

possess no more than two of these characteristics to be treated as partnership for

tax purposes.

Prof E Snyman-Van Deventer, Sentrum vir Ondernemingsreg, Fakulteit

Regsgeleerdheid, Universiteit van die Vrystaat.

Prof JJ Henning, Dekaan van Fakulteit Regsgeleerdheid en Direkteur van die

Sentrum vir Ondernemingsreg, Universiteit van die Vrystaat.

Tydskrif vir Boedelbeplanningsreg 2004-2005(1):103-130

1. Inleiding

Die innoverende onlangse ontwikkelinge in die Amerikaanse reg, regverdig

dat boedelbeplanners en finansiële raadgewers kennis sal neem van nuwe

opsies beskikbaar en veral sal ag slaan op die bepaalde voordele wanneer

in die VSA sake gedoen word.Diegene wat dit erns het met die ontwikkeling

van die Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemingsreg, sal ook die nuwe moontlikhede

en oplossings vir ou probleme met meer as net belangstelling bejeën.

2. Historiese agtergrond

Reeds in 1975 het ’n oliemaatskappy in Alaska die eerste stappe geneem

om ’n wet oor aanspreeklikheidsbeperkende maatskappye (hierna LLC)

daar te stel, maar hierdie poging was onsuksesvol.Twee jaar later het die

“Hamilton Brothers Oil Company of Denver”, wat vertroud was met die

Panameese

limitadas

, besluit om ’n poging aan te wend om deur die

aanneming van wetgewing in Wyoming soortgelyke ondernemings in die

VSA te vestig.1Dit het daartoe gelei dat die Wyoming wetgewer in 1977

die skepping van ’n nuwe ondernemingsvorm, wat bekend staan as die

aanspreeklikheidsbeperkende maatskappy,2aanvaar waardeur nie net

laer belasting as die van maatskappye verseker is nie, maar wat ook die

verdere voordeel van beperkte aanspreeklikheid bied.Die LLC geniet dus

die belangrikste voordeel van die maatskappy, maar vermy ook die grootste

nadeel van vennootskappe.3

Die Wyoming wetgewers wou klaarblyklik deur die vestiging van ’n nuwe

ondernemingsvorm nuwe besighede lok deurdat die ondernemings na

Wyoming sou skuif ten einde die voordele van die nuwe LLCs te benut.4

Die wet is sonder baie publisiteit aangeneem en die vermoede het bestaan

dat dit ondersteuning sal geniet van sake-ondernemings op soek na ’n

alternatiewe ondernemingsvorm vir olie- en brandstofontwikkelingsaktiwiteite.5

104

Tydskrif vir Boedelbeplanningsreg 2004-2005(1)

1 Carney 1995:857; Rodriguez 1992:544.

2 Wyo.Stat s 17-15-113 (1977); Steinberg en Conway 1992:1105; Sargent 1992:-

1072; Geu 1992:45; Kalinka 1992:1084;Br yans en Shields 1995:79 voetnota

2; Goforth 1994:1225; Gazur en Goff 1991:389; Oesterle 1995:882; Nation

1996:25; Snyman en Henning 1997:675;Thompson 1995:131.

3 Rutledge en Booth 1994-95:7.

4 Gazur en Goff 1991:389.

5 Carney 1995:857.