Tax advice starts with cited research.

People search for tax advice when they need a position they can stand behind on a SARS question. The position is only as good as the authorities under it. Taxbot is the research aid South African practices use to assemble that set — the Act, SARS guidance and case law, with citations. Under section 240 of the Tax Administration Act, a natural person generally must register as a tax practitioner when advising another person on applying a tax Act or assisting with that person's return, subject to statutory exemptions. Check current SARS requirements; Taxbot is a research aid, not the person who signs the advice.

Build the research set Practice workspace

Research, advice, and filing are three different jobs

Research finds the section, the SARS note or ruling, and the cases, and says how they apply to stated facts. That is what Taxbot’s tax research is for.
Advice is the conclusion a person is prepared to give a client. Section 240 of the Tax Administration Act generally requires a natural person who advises another person on applying a tax Act, or completes or assists with another person's return, to register as a tax practitioner, subject to exemptions in the Act. SARS explains the registration requirements and registration process. Taxbot is not registered as your practitioner.
Filing is SARS eFiling, a payment, or an objection lodged on the channels SARS prescribes. Taxbot does not submit returns or act as eFiling.

What the research behind advice should contain

Before anyone signs, the file should be able to show:

The governing provision, quoted from the Act for that year — not a paraphrase that has drifted.
The SARS interpretation note, guide, or binding general ruling, if one exists on the point. If none exists, the file should say so.
The cases, when the test is judicial. Capital or revenue, and “in the production of income”, are the usual examples. A general deduction often needs both.
The year of assessment, because rebates, thresholds, and practice change.
What is still judgment: apportionment, intention, or a fact you do not have yet.

Taxbot drafts that pack from the question you ask. Speed is enough for a current-year provision. Reasoning is the right mode when statute and case law both matter. You read the citations before the conclusion leaves the practice.

What an unsigned draft is not

A fluent paragraph with no section next to it is not advice. A calculator output is not an assessment. A research aid that invents a citation is worse than no aid. Taxbot is built to attach authorities and to stay out of the filing step. If the answer you needed was “file this number on the return”, the next person is a practitioner, and the next system is SARS — after the research has been checked.

Common questions

Can Taxbot give me tax advice?

Taxbot prepares the research behind tax advice: the Act, SARS guidance and case law, with citations. It does not sign advice, represent you before SARS, or replace a registered tax practitioner. Taxbot is a research aid: verify before you file or rely. Not legal advice.

Who should sign tax advice in South Africa?

Under section 240 of the Tax Administration Act, a natural person generally must register as a tax practitioner when they advise another person on applying a tax Act or complete or assist with another person's return, subject to statutory exemptions. SARS explains the requirements and process. Check the current rules for the person and service involved.

What should sit behind a piece of tax advice?

The section that governs the question, any SARS interpretation note, guide or binding general ruling on that point, the case law where the test is judicial, the year of assessment, and a clear statement of what is still a judgment call. That pack is what Taxbot is built to assemble. The practitioner decides what to sign.

I need tax advice on a deduction. Where do I start?

Start with the research map for section 11(a), section 23(g) and the specific deduction that might apply instead, on SARS general deductions. Then ask Taxbot to run those tests against the facts. Take the cited working set to the person who will sign the advice. Do not file from an unsigned draft.

Sources and editorial information

Page updated 29 September 2026. This page explains a research workflow; it is not individualized tax or legal advice. Check the current Act, SARS requirements and any statutory exemptions for the facts at hand.