1. Many department managers at stores can cut the price of goods you want – if there's a defect or the price is higher than you planned to spend. When one shopper told a manager about her budget for a side-by-side refrigerator, he sold her the $1400 model she wanted for $1000.
2. Stores often place coupons in newspaper circulars and magazines you may not get to see. Ask the cashier if there's a coupon you missed and whether you can have the same discount.
3. Sales are usually held at the same time each year. Mark up a calendar so you know in advance when they're coming up. If you buy too early at full price, you may be able to bring back the merchandise and your receipt and get the discount.
4. Make friends with helpful salespeople by taking their business cards and stopping by to see them when you're shopping. Eventually they'll call you to tell you about upcoming sales and specials, or they'll hold items for you.
5. The bigger the cart, the more you buy. If you're going to the supermarket to buy one item, refrain from getting a basket. If you're only buying three items, get a basket, not a cart. When you venture into the store knowing you're going to have to carry your purchases up to the counter, you probably won't make impulse buys.
6. Discount card scanners sound like they're working, even when they're not. If your discount card is on your key chain, be careful when you hand it to the clerk if more than one store's discount card is attached to it. If the clerk scans the wrong card, the machine may still beep as if it's going to give you the discount – but it never does.
The importance of correctly drawing up a valid will according to your present needs cannot be overemphasised. Many married couples and partners, for example, can get by with one joint or single will in which the surviving spouse is nominated as the only heir, and the children as the heirs in the event of simultaneous death.
In the event of death of a spouse in a joint will, the surviving spouse must have a new will drawn up as soon as possible, because the joint will is that of the first-dying only, as well as of both spouses if provision is made, the joint will therefore does not cover the death of the surviving spouse.
The regular and sometimes speedy reviewing of a will is very important and in some cases extremely urgent. Changes in, for example, your marital status, the addition and/or omission of heirs and the changing of guardians, executor and trustee, are a few examples of cases that could be extremely urgent. Changes in assets that have been specifically bequeathed, such as a particular property, as well as new additions to your assets, necessitate a revision of your will.
New legislation, amendments to legislation and new estate planning techniques are other reasons why it is very important for people to whom these might apply, to review their will and their estate planning.
There are several techniques and methods that can be applied in wills in order to save on and/or prevent estate duty. To make the will as effective as possible, it is essential that it be reviewed regularly so that it can be adapted in accordance with any amendments to the Estate Duty Act, scales and rebates. One of the techniques is to make use of the basic rebate.
Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information such as your name, your Identity Number or other identifying information, to commit fraud or other crimes.
This information can be stolen from your home, car, your wallet and even through dumpster diving, where criminals will go through your rubbish bins to obtain the required documents. Cyber-crime is on the increase, and a wealth of personal and confidential information can be obtained via the internet, emails, spoofed websites and even social networking sites such as Facebook.
Types of Identity Fraud
Phishing: Use of email "phishing" scams requesting you to provide your private and confidential information via a website link is a key tool currently used by these conmen. SARS will never ask you for information such as your eFiling details (login credentials, passwords, pins, credit / debit card information, etc.) in an email.
Refund Scams: An identity thief can use a legitimate taxpayer's identity to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund. Another threat is that the criminal makes use of your information to change the banking details on your profile. Identity Theft: The latest scam involves taxpayers being phoned by a person alleging to be a SARS employee, to inform them that SARS owes them money. SARS will never notify you telephonically regarding refunds.
Fake SARS auditors: Scam artists pretending to be SARS auditors contact businesses to inform them that they are under investigation and that an audit is going to be conducted. The business is then provided with a fake letter supposedly from the Audit Section, requesting the client to provide full co-operation with the "auditor".
Will Continue … In July 2013 newsletter • Identifying a Possible Scam • Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Identity Fraud • How was stolen information used?
What are the criteria for being considered a person with a disability?
First, ITR-DD must be completed by you (part A) and a registered medical practitioner qualified to express an opinion on your disability. Your medical practitioner will have to answer various questions and confirm that you have a 'moderate to severe' disability in accordance with the criteria as stated in the ITR-DD for either vision, communication, physical, hearing, intellectual or mental disability. The form only needs to be completed every five years for taxpayers who or whose spouse or child has a permanent disability.
What are tax benefits for a person with a disability?
A taxpayer who has or whose spouse or child has a disability in accordance with the criteria set out in the ITR-DD form and confirmed by the medical practitioner, can claim all qualifying out-of-pocket expenses, which include disability related expenses, in full. SARS has prescribed a list of physical impairment or disability expenses. The expense does not automatically qualify as a deduction by mere reason of its listing. The expense must also be necessary for the alleviation of the restriction on a person's ability to perform functions of daily living.
How do I claim for these benefits?
These expenses can be claimed when the taxpayer submit his or her turn return (ITR12). Please note that the ITR-DD form must have been completed and must confirm that the person has a "moderate to severe" limitation in one of the diagnostic criteria before the full deduction of qualifying expenses benefit can apply. There is a full guide to all the expenses you can claim.
Skateboarding - The art that is misconceived by society today. This is a grouping of people that get together with the same thing in mind. That is, to get away from the people who do not understand them and move with a culture that accepts them. The stigma attached to this culture needs a deeper look and better understanding by the outside society. The vision of G-sk8t is to take precisely that step. Looking deeper and seeing a need.
It is my passion to use skateboarding to create a unity among us. Uplifting in love and encouragement, showing this ‘’rebel” generation that there is a hope and a future for them.
I want to be different from the people who always told these young people that they won’t make it, that they will not amount to anything in life. I’m sure if that was beaten into my mind I might just have turned out that way too! That is a scary thought! It could even be your own child who has been labelled with this negative marking of failure… Let’s think before we speak. Life and death lies in the power of the tongue, so let’s speak life into these young people’s lives and see this generation change and excel! So this is the mission… to reach out to the lost! G-sk8t is taking that step.
Thank you for reading! We will catch up soon and let you know more in our next update. Gareth Green Contact: 0837393293
Question: Am I able to suspend an employee while he’s on annual leave. Answer: There’s nothing that prevents you from doing so, as long as you can contact him and advise him of your intention to suspend him and the reason for his suspension. The employee must be consulted before you can suspend him and you must provide him with an opportunity to provide reasons why he shouldn’t be suspended. You need to inform him of the terms of the suspension which should include a restriction if you don’t want him to contact certain other employees during his suspension. However, it’s better to wait until he returns from leave. The reason for suspending him is to keep him away from the premises, which would be the case while he’s on leave. Only if there appears to be a chance of him interfering with possible witnesses while still on leave would a suspension make sense. Do we have to pay notice pay if we dismiss an employee? Question: Are you required to pay an employee notice if you find him/her incompetent after following all the ‘incapacity procedures’? Answer: If an employee’s contract stipulates a notice period, notice is a contractual right. But if your employment contract doesn’t make any reference to a notice period as stated in the BCEA become a right. If the employee’s service is terminated without notice, it’s a material breach of the contract and he/she can sue for damages. But, if you can prove that he’s/she’s materially breached the contract, you can terminate his/her services without notice. Misconduct such as dishonesty, assault, sexual harassment, etc. is deemed as serious misconduct and may warrant a summary dismissal (i.e. dismissal without notice). But dismissal for incapacity isn’t deemed as a material breach in the contract as it’s based on incapacity which is categorised as a ‘ no-fault’ dismissal. So you’d have to dismiss him with notice.
Must a temporary replacement get the same benefits as a permanent employee? Question: We’d like to hire a lady on a four month fixed-term contract to replace someone at the company going on maternity leave. Please advise if employees on a fixed-term contract must also get the same benefits as all permanent employees, i.e. medical aid and pension fund benefits? If not, what benefits are they entitled to?
Answer: Since you’re hiring a fixed-term contractor in the position of the employee that’s on maternity leave, there’s no legal obligation at his stage to provide the same benefits as a permanent employee’s, if you hire a fixed-term contractor, you aren’t required to make medical aid contributions , provident fund contributions etc. unless your company policy says you will. But an employee on a fixed-term contract’s still entitled to benefit in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and so would be entitled to:
One day paid sick leave for every 26 days worked; and
People should not think that keeping your child's head Lice free is an impossible thing to do. Here are a few tips to prevent your child from getting these unwelcome guests.
1. Spray Hairspray on the hair after it was styled. 2. Was your child's hair with dog shampoo and rinse with staysoft once a week. (Believe me this help) 3. After every wash, put some conditioner in and rinse. (Lice can't attach to hair) 4. Dye your child's hair.
If you have a problem with lice, here is a tip to get them out. I just been researching page after page and myself just tried this salt and vinegar method and I earlier had combed and combed finding nothing and after the vinegar mix I hopped in the shower rinsed it off put a load of conditioner on and began to comb and found 7 tiny hatchlings so obviously this worked but I now just read about forget all these things and get alcohol mix it with water in a spray bottle saturate your head wait 30 minutes or more cover hair if you want then wash hair and whilst you have conditioner in it comb it first with big comb then a nitt comb apparently this is best also they recommend you vacuum and clean floors and spray round with the mix, they use this in doctors. and hospitals and its cheap
Are domestic employees protected by the BCEA (Basic Conditions of Employment Act) and LRA (Labour Relations Act)?
If your domestic employee works more than 24 hours a month for you, he has rights and is protected by the BCEA and LRA. Make sure you do it all by the book to avoid going to the CCMA.
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If you employ a domestic employee you must keep a copy or an official summary of the relevant section of the Act, BCEA of 75 of 1997, Sectoral determination 7, where she would have access to it.
The time worked during the course of a normal day or week may not exceed 45 hours per week, whether it is a five-day or six-day week. Time taken for lunch breaks is not included in the figure.
Your domestic employee may not work for more than nine hours on one day if she is on a five-day work week, or longer than eight hours if she works more than five days a week. (BCEA, No 75 of 1997, Sectoral determination 7: Domestic worker sector. Part D. Section 10)
TIP#2: How much overtime may your domestic work?
If your domestic employee works overtime, she may not work more than 15 hours a week, and 12 hours on one day. Overtime is paid at 1½ times the normal rate of pay. The domestic employee may also agree to take time off in lieu of additional overtime pay. This time off also works on the 1½ principle, e.g. if she works an additional 30 minutes she must be given 45 minutes off.
Your domestic employee must agree to work overtime and can not be forced to do so. Note that domestic workers need to be paid double their hourly or daily rate if they work on a Sunday or public holiday. TIP#3: Annual Leave
You are not allowed to let your domestic employees work for you during their annual leave period and you may not pay them instead of allowing them to take their leave. You need to keep records of any leave your domestic employee takes.
Effective 01 October 2012, employers must adjust their UIF contribution calculations to apply the new remuneration limit published by the Minister of Finance on 26 September 2012 (refer Government Gazette no 35715, dated 26 September 2012).
When calculating the 1% contribution deducted from employees and the 1% contributed by employers, a new annual remuneration limit of R178 464 should be applied. This means that employees earning R14 872 per month or more (R178 464 / 12) will now contribute a maximum of R148.72 and their employers will contribute an equal amount.
De Goede Hiring & Staffing is a private company that was established in 2000 with the aim of providing businesses with reliable and professional staffing solutions.
De Goede Hiring & Staffing has the necessary skills and experience to assist and support all employers in labour affairs, training, organizational behavior and development of employees and employers. The company is a registered Temporary Employment Service.
Air passenger tax Fee-paying passengers departing on international flights pay a tax of R110 (R120 as from 1 August 2005) and passengers flying to Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland pay R55 (R60 as from 1 August 2005).
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) Capital Gains Tax (CGT) was introduced in October 2001. It forms part of the income tax system and includes in taxable income capital gains made on the disposal of assets.
Diamond Export Levy To provide for the imposition of an export levy on unpolished diamonds (but not including synthetic diamonds) and allow for offsets with respect to that levy.
During April 2009 Ms S bought a house in Soweto which she intends refurbishing and converting into a guesthouse to take advantage of the accommodation needs of tourists in the Johannesburg area.
The answer is simple; a living trust prevents assets (like your home) from being seized by probate Court upon your passing and is completely private. In addition, a quality living trust provides for a smooth transition of assets upon your passing by naming beneficiaries. More over there is a reason why it is called a living trust.
A number of studies have found a direct correlation between workplace morale and corporate results, so how can you improve employee morale – and, by extension, your bottom line?
Start by measuring how happy your employees are. Fred Reichheld’s Net Promoter feedback system was designed to measure customer service quality, but Apple uses it to measure employee engagement at its retail stores and to gauge what needs to be done to address the concerns of “internal customers.”
Greet employees at the start of each day with a gesture of appreciation, like a handshake or a hearty “good morning.” Free bagels and coffee wouldn’t hurt either, and could be the springboard for informal morning meetings to rally the troops and ease the transition from commute to work.
Use your employees’ skills appropriately. Don’t “reward” high performers by piling on extra responsibilities that pull them away from their favorite skills. At the same time, make sure they have time for personal and professional development. Reichheld recommends developing systems that help employees earn their own happiness.
And make sure you’re happy and involved in development and training too. Employees are more likely to follow leaders who walk the walk and are there in the trenches with them.
People should not make lifestyle changes at a certain age; it should be part of your life since you were a little child. Here are a few reminders of lifestyle trends that will ensure good aging and maintaining bone health.
Effective 01 October 2012, employers must adjust their UIF contribution calculations to apply the new remuneration limit published by the Minister of Finance on 26 September 2012 (refer Government Gazette no 35715, dated 26 September 2012).
De Goede Hiring & Staffing is a private company that was established in 2000 with the aim of providing businesses with reliable and professional staffing solutions.
Air passenger tax 
