SARS pays back R10bn, but some taxpayers’ refunds are being withheld

Taxpayers should inform SARS if they have been unemployed for a full year or longer, to avoid being flagged as non-compliant.

And the winner is…

In the midst of the world cup soccer hype, Neymar memes and speculation on which team will be crowned as the winners of World Cup 2018, the role of soccer coaches sometimes fades […]

Voluntary retrenchment plan for public sector workers – Test for Default Pension Fund Regulations Legalbrief Today recently commented as follows on a Business Day article: Thousands of public sector workers over the age […]

Class of Business Training Now Available

Registration for Class of Business training by Moonstone Business School of Excellence (MBSE) is now Open What and When? The Act stipulates that a FSP and representative must complete the class of business […]

Changes to Regulatory Exam Questions

The amended Determination of Fit and Proper Requirements come into effect on 1 April 2018. The competence requirements relating to regulatory examinations contained in the amended Determination apply to all FSPs, key individuals and representatives […]

Draft Determination on Equivalence of Reward

The sustainability of independent financial advice was always a key aspect in the Registrar’s approach to the Retail Distribution Review. Board Notice 181 of 2017, published on 10 November last year, aims to level […]

Regulatory Impact of Product Training under new Fit and Proper

The Financial Services Board subcontracted the beleaguered KPMG to do an impact assessment on the proposed amendments related to the Fit and Proper requirements, as published in the Draft fit and proper requirements […]

Appeal Board Reduces Debarment Period

A recent case before the FSB Appeal Board saw the period of debarment halved which is an interesting deviation from previous views held by the Board on its powers to interfere in decisions […]

Final Insurance Conduct Regulations and Policyholder Protection Rules

We have become used to the publication of important regulatory changes on and after 15 December each year, but 2017 set a new “record” which will be hard to beat. We will be sharing […]

Festive season greetings

This year, which is speeding to an end, has arguably been the busiest in my 40 years in the industry. The latest batch of legislative changes envisaged for the next six months is […]

FAIS Ombud 2016/2017 Annual Report

How do the numbers contained in the Ombud’s latest report reflect on its mandate? Complaints received for the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017 came to 10 846, compared to 9 891 for the previous year. • […]

Ombud Council to Oversee Various Ombud Schemes

The Financial Sector Regulation (FSR) Act was signed by the President in August 2017. The National Treasury announced that it will be publishing a series of consultation documents, setting out in more detail the […]

Proposed Amendments to General Code of Conduct: Sections 8 & 9

The Registrar has published proposed amendments to the General Code of Conduct for Authorised Financial Services Providers and Representatives, 2003 and proposed amendments to the Specific Code of Conduct for Authorised Financial Services […]

Insurer Obligations re Credit Reports

In future, insurers will have to submit credit information in order to continue accessing consumer credit reports from credit bureaux. On 3 November 2017, the National Credit Regulator (NCR) published its final guideline […]

Draft Determination on Equivalence of Reward

Perceived disparities between remuneration for tied agents and independent advisers have been a bone of contention for ages. The Registrar also expressed concerns about the possibility of using remuneration, other than commission, to […]

Professional Indemnity Insurance and exclusions

A recent decision of the High Court in Bloemfontein where an FSP was found to have been negligent in advising a client to invest in the Sharemax scheme, is a “must read” for […]