Demystifying the Value-Added Tax Act implications of fixed property transactions in South Africa

The South African Value-Added Tax (VAT) Act lacks a logical structure for fixed property transactions, making it difficult to teach, apply and administer. This study examines the organisational structure of the VAT Act as an element of legal complexity. The study establishes guidelines to simplify VAT implications for fixed property transactions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted following a literature review. Research shows that improving statute structure, layout and organisation improves readability. This study confirms that the fixed property provisions of the VAT Act complicate the law, increasing compliance and administrative costs. The literature review and interview findings support the development of the guidelines to simplify complex transactions in the VAT Act. The principles in the guidelines include section grouping, headings and subheadings and clear signposting, and in this article these are applied to practically illustrate the VAT implications for fixed property transactions.