Browsing by Author "Marcus, Matthew"

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    A critical assessment of the capital gains tax as a fiscal policy tool for South Africa
    (2006) Marcus, Matthew; Fitschen, Amanda
    This dissertation attempts to critically analyse the tax on capital gains as an addition to South Africa's fiscal framework. The method of the analysis involves the collation of international research on the effects of capital gains tax on the economies, financial markets, labour markets and revenue authorities of various countries. The focus is on the economic and fiscal areas directly relating to the long-term economic and fiscal policy goals of the South African government. These goals, as well as the justification given by the South African Department of Finance and the South African Revenue Service for the introduction of the capital gains tax are presented in the literature review section of this study. Research of international tax practices indicates that the taxing of capital gains has a depressive effect on capital formation, labour productivity, foreign and domestic direct investment, business creation, entrepreneurship and taxpayer equity. In addition, the introduction of such a tax has no proven growth effects on governmental revenue, and does not significantly dissuade tax avoidance schemes using arbitrage measures. By applying the globally observed effects of the capital gains tax to the long-term policy goals mentioned above, I conclude that the capital gains tax does not assist in the achievement of the economic and fiscal policy goals of the South African government, neither in the short- nor the long-term. Conversely, the capital gains tax acts as a countermeasure to the achievement of the said goals.
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    The effect of South African dividend and capital gains taxes on cost of capital, firm value and capital structure
    (2010) Marcus, Matthew; Toerien, Francois
    I examine the effect of South African taxes, specifically the secondary tax on companies (STC) and capital gains tax (CGT) on investor measures of expected return and firm value, firm cost of capital and optimal capital structure. The discussion, findings and models presented in this study are entirely original in the field of South African corporate finance research. I model the relationship between STC, CGT and expected return and use this relationship to formulate an hypothesis of the expected behaviour of ex ante measures of implied cost of capital for a sample of listed South African companies.
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    A qualitative and quantitative analysis of the South African tax system, 1995-2005
    (2007) Marcus, Matthew; Roeleveld, Jennifer; Ekpo, Akpan
    I evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of the South African tax system in terms of revenue collection, exploitation of statutory tax bases and the achievement of fiscal policy goals. The evaluation is undertaken via the development of qualitative and quantitative testing frameworks, based on the collation of international experience and the adaptation of existing methodologies to the domestic context.