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Problem Solvers!

Tax problems come in different shapes and forms and has a wide variety of origins – your accountant/auditor messed up, you messed up, SARS is being ridiculous , you didn’t know about this or that, cashflow issues – the list goes on and we have seen and heard them all. In the end though, SARS is going to knock at your door (regardless of the source of the problem) and that’s the problem we focus on solving and we’ve done it many times. Check out some of our recent achievements below.  

Tax Dispute Success
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Happy Clients
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Saved in undue taxes
>R 0
VDP Acceptance
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What makes us different

We are known for tackling unsolvable cases, the ones that are technically difficult and almost impossible to win.  We are a leading tax consulting firm in South Africa, and we pride ourselves on the quality and reliable tax services we offer to both individual and corporate clients. With our vast experience in the field of taxation, we have been providing our clients with comprehensive tax solutions for more than a decade.

Our team of tax professionals has an in-depth understanding of the South African tax system, offering an innovative and client-centred approach to handling tax matters.  We strive to provide tailored solutions to meet each client’s unique requirements, backed by years of experience and expertise. This approach sets us apart from others in the industry, making us a trusted and reliable tax consulting partner to all our clients.

One of the notable aspects of our teams is our focus on staying up to date with the latest regulatory changes. We employ highly skilled professionals who stay abreast of all the recent changes in tax laws, policies, and regulations. This enables us to provide clients with accurate and timely advice that complies with all the relevant laws.

Our success can be attributed to our commitment to excellence, professionalism, and quality; see some of our achievements below.

Some of our Achievements

Wall Art 1 (Prined) - ASSISTANCE WITH AUDIT FROM SARS - R 70,481,241.00
Wall Art 11 - (Printed) - OBJECTION AND APPEAL - R 11,593,136.42
Wall Art 23 - ( Not Printed) - OBJECTION_REDUCED ASSESSMENT REQUEST - R 219,320,597.83
Wall Art 24 - ( Not Printed) - RESPONSE TO LETTER OF FINDINGS - R 57,454,446.08
Wall Art 21 - (Printed) - VDP SUBMISSION - R 247,542.75
Wall Art 18 - (Printed) - OBJECTION AND REDUCED ASSESSMENT REQUEST - R 384,570.00
Wall Art 19 - (Printed) - REQUEST FOR REMISSION-(RFR) - R 447,995.54
Wall Art 16 - (Printed) - OBJECTION - R 155,967.78
Wall Art 25 - ( Not Printed) - REDUCED ASSESSMENT REQUEST - R 57,454,446.08
Wall Art 15 - (Printed) - OBJECTION - R 280,000.00
Wall Art 20 - (Printed) - VDP SUBMISSION - R 261,494.10
Wall Art 12 - (Printed) - OBJECTION AND APPEAL - R 426,953,172.62
Wall Art 12 - (Printed) - OBJECTION AND APPEAL - R 426,953,172.62
Wall Art 14 - (Printed) - OBJECTION AND REQUEST FOR REMISSION - R 256,882.87
Wall Art 13 - (Printed) - REDUCED ASSESSMENT REQUEST - R 252,000.00
Wall Art 10 - (Printed) - APPEAL - R461,647.00
Wall Art 17 - (Printed) - VDP SUBMISSION - R 717,551.80
Wall Art 9 (Printed) - OBJECTION AND APPEAL - R504,565.14
Wall Art 8 (Printed) - VDP SUBMISSION - R678,034.85
Wall Art 7 (Printed) - VDP SUBMISSION - R1,011,738.94
Wall Art 6 (Printed) - OBJECTION_REDUCED ASSESSMENT REQUEST - R934,851.00
Wall Art 5 (Printed) - OBJECTION AND REDUCED ASSESSMENT REQUEST - R2,937,326.24
Wall Art 3 (Printed) NOTICE OF OBJECTION-NOO - R1,474,762.93
Wall Art 4 (Printed) - REQUEST FOR REMISSION-(RFR) - R3,260,869.58
Wall Art 2 (Printed) - VDP SUBMISSION - R 3,252,764.26
Wall Art 22 - (Printed) - OBJECTION AND REQUEST FOR REMISSION - R 217,428.62

Industry Recognised Expert

Meet Our Founder

Nico Theron, tax law specialist at Unicus Tax Specialists SA

Nico Theron

We were founded and are managed by Nico Theron  BCom Law (cum laude), LLM (Tax Law), BCom Honours Taxation, MCom Taxation (SA and International Tax)). With over a decade of practical tax experience we can comfortably deal with tax at a practical and deeply specialised level.

Nico is an industry recognised tax expert, often training other tax professionals across South Africa at the request of the South African Institute of Taxation (SAIT) and the Tax Faculty, lectures tax at post graduate level at the University of Pretoria, and is also the author of Practical Guide to Handling Tax Disputes, a book published by Lexis Nexis regarding all the remedies available to taxpayers to challenge SARS’ assessments and decisions. 

What People Say About Us

Client Testimonials

“I would like to express my profound appreciation for the truly excellent result you achieved ... Your masterful strategy in slowly and tactically building the case was, I believe, central to SARS abandoning the fight. The care and detailed diligence you showed in assembling and presenting our argument was truly impressive. I can confidently say that I have never worked with any other professional who brought both your high level strategic approach together with your focus on the nitty-gritty detail – which is truly a deadly combination. I admire you unreservedly and wish you every success ... I look forward to many years of association and will confidently and wholeheartedly recommend you to others.”
R Hughs
"Throughout our dealings with Unicus Tax, we have experienced an outstanding level of service. We have found the following: A distinctive appreciation and consideration of the practical business application and impact of advice provided; Immediate or exceptionally prompt response, to all questions and service requests; Expert level of knowledge in the vast number of tax specialty areas affecting our tax affairs; and Fair fees considering the levels of service provided and effort involved.
Michael Franas CA (S.A.) - Group Financial Director
"I would like to thank Nico and his team for the high level of expertise, competence and professionalism in dealing with our recent income tax review and ancillary matters. In addition to these highest levels of expertise and ability to assist us to practically apply the law, I have found the Unicus team to be very accommodating to our challenging time frames. They were always available and/or quick to respond to all of correspondence and questions. In short, excellent service! Thank you.
Group Financial Director - The Doshi Group of Companies - South Africa
Unicus has given Natures Garden a professional service and delivered on our requests timeously and efficiently. They have a good practical knowledge of the SARS processes and gave excellent advice on how to handle our tax affairs.
Group Financial Officer - Natures Garden (Pty) Ltd

important things you should know

How do we work

  • Our fee structures for disputes take any one of three forms, to wit:
  • Fees based on professional time spent only.
    • When we engage on this basis, we will charge based on time spent at our respective hourly rates. 
    • We will, insofar as reasonably possible, provide you with a quote for expected time to be spent in assisting with your case at our respective hourly rates in advance.  
 
  • Fees based on professional time spent plus a success fee.
      • When we engage on this basis, we charge based on time spent in working on your case in the same way as in the first fee structure above and will, in addition to fees based on time spent, charge a success fee but only if the case is successfully resolved. The success fee will be the LOWER of a percentage of the saving or an amount equal to the fees charged based on time spent.   
      • We will provide a quote in advance insofar as is reasonably possible. 

  • Success fee only.
    • When we engage on this basis, we do not charge for time spent and will only charge if and to the extent the dispute is resolved successfully. If successfully resolved we charge a percentage of the saving achieved, which percentage we will agree with you on in advance.  

We are geared to deal with a tax dispute at almost any stage during a dispute with SARS, whether that be at objection or appeal or litigation.  Whichever option we work on will be discussed and agreed upon prior to project commencement.  Please feel free to contact our offices to hear which fee structure applies to your case and to get a quote from us. 

If you would like to meet us, click here and we will set up an introductory call with one of our senior team members – we won’t charge you for this as it is just an introduction. We are very transparent about our fees – you will never get a surprise invoice from us. You are also welcome to complete our brief wizard here if you want to send us more detail about your enquiry – again, we don’t charge for working through the brief at a high level. We shall make contact with you to set out fees and process – again, we are very transparent about fees with our clients.

Our Latest Insights
Chapter 15 penalties and holding SARS Accountable

This discussion examines the critical distinction between objecting to a SARS penalty assessment and requesting remittance under the South African Tax Administration Act.

It unpacks the interaction between sections 104, 215, 220, and 224, highlighting why taxpayers may first need to seek remittance before pursuing objection and appeal remedies and explores the procedural and evidentiary consequences of each route, particularly the shifting onus of proof in understatement penalty disputes and administrative penalties before SARS and the Tax Court.

Read More
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