Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Taxation
Business, Commerce and Management Studies - Finance Economics and Accounting
Purpose and Rationale
Qualification Purpose and Rationale
Purpose:
The purpose of the qualification is to provide learners in possession of a Bachelor of Commerce and who do not plan to qualify as Chartered Accountants with an alternative qualification that will enable them to practise as Taxation professionals in either the private or public sector. A learner attaining the Bachelor of Commerce Honours (BCom Hons) degree will be able to:
- Apply communicative and numerical skills as lifelong learners and researchers.
- Read academic and professional texts critically.
- Apply the skills of rational argument, judgement, planning, and decision-making analysis to taxation problems.
- Analyse, interpret and make decisions from data about taxation matters.
Rationale:
The Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) aims to provide students with current thinking, principles, and knowledge on taxation, thereby ensuring that they are prepared for the challenges of working at an advanced level in the financial management sector with a specific emphasis on taxation. It is the intention to produce analytical and research-orientated practitioners for the workplace. The curriculum is designed with a strong research focus enabling students to apply acquired research knowledge and skills to their respective departments or organizations.
The degree is designed for people in the following fields:
- Junior tax consultants handling tax compliance work.
- Legal officers dealing with tax compliance issues.
- Employment by the South African Revenue Services.
- Commercial organizations requiring accountants with expertise in taxation would find the combination of a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Taxation) Honours degree most effective.
Graduates wishing to pursue an academic career would progress from the Bachelor of Commerce (Taxation) Honours degree to a Masters in Commerce degree and later a PhD degree in Taxation. There is a desperate shortage in South Africa of tax academics who have doctorate degrees.
Outcomes
- Have a thorough understanding of the more complex tax issues and write opinions on tax problems.
- Solve practical tax problems and calculate the normal tax liability.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the research process.
- Produce a well structured research dissertation paper is written.
Assessment Criteria
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
- Reading and interpreting court decisions related to tax problems.
- Identifying tax problems and finding solutions.
- Structuring lucid arguments related to tax problems.
- Applying knowledge to specialist areas such as gross income, general deduction formula, tax evasion, tax avoidance, anti-avoidance, penalty measures, and tax planning.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
- Using an integrated approach with reference to income tax legislation, court decisions, regulations, and interpretation notes.
- Calculating normal tax liability for individual tax payers, corporate tax payers, trusts and estates, and other tax entities.
- Understanding and applying provisions related to donations tax for natural persons and other entities.
- Applying principles of capital gains taxation to calculate taxable income for different types of taxpayers.
- Understanding and applying tax principles for pre-payments of normal tax, including SITE, PAYE, and provisional tax.
- Understanding and applying various withholding taxes provided in the Income Tax Act.
- Understanding and applying value added tax legislation in calculating VAT liability or refunds for vendors.
- Applying principles of the Estate Duty Act to calculate estate duty liability.
- Providing basic tax planning advice considering anti-tax avoidance measures.
- Understanding administrative provisions in taxation legislation.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
- Conducting a basic literature survey and review.
- Designing a simple research project.
- Writing a simple research proposal.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
- Writing and correcting draft chapters of a dissertation essay based on supervision feedback.
- Using appropriate referencing techniques and producing a bibliography in the required format.
- Using an academic writing style with structured arguments.
- Writing an abstract in the required form.
Integrated Assessment:
- Applying theory to applied taxation questions and research.
- Assessment through formative tests, assignments, and tutorials.
- Conducting group research tasks to assess research methodology knowledge.
- Assessing the research thesis by an internal or external examiner.
These assessment criteria outline the expectations for each exit level outcome in Taxation and highlight the importance of integrated assessment in applying theoretical knowledge to practical taxation scenarios.
Qualification Details
- Type
- Honours Degree
- NQF Level
- 08
- Min. Credits
- 128
- SAQA Source
- More Information
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This page includes information from the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) . Builtneat Pty Ltd trading as Study Start, has modified all or some of this information. SAQA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.