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Excel Group

Excel Group

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Delivering value that clients care about is the cornerstone of the Group's positioning as value provi

29/08/2026
28/08/2026

Keep the right documents safe.

Every business should keep important records such as company registration documents, CIPC documents, ID copies, staff records, purchase invoices, and sales invoices.

These documents should be stored safely and maintained monthly, because SARS may request them at any point.

Strong record keeping protects your business and keeps you prepared.

26/08/2026

Starting a business? Choose the right structure.
When you start trading, you have options — from operating as a sole proprietor to forming a company or partnership.

The structure you choose affects your registrations, compliance, tax, and how your business operates going forward.

Set it up correctly from the start.

17/08/2026

Start with proper paperwork.
One of the biggest mistakes small businesses make is not keeping their documentation and admin in order from the beginning.

If you want to claim deductions, support expenses, or remain compliant with SARS, your records need to be accurate, available, and properly maintained.
Good admin is not just paperwork.

It protects your business.
At Excel Group, we help businesses put the right structures, systems, and compliance practices in place from the start.

A trust pays the highest tax rates in the country. So why do people still use them? This is the part most explanations skip. The answer is the flow-through principle. When a trust earns income, the trustees have a choice. Retain it inside the trust and pay the flat 45% income tax rate, with an effective CGT rate of 36%. Or distribute it to a beneficiary, and that income gets taxed in their hands at their individual marginal rate, which for most beneficiaries is considerably lower. Trust earns, trustees distribute, beneficiary is taxed. That is the conduit. A few things worth knowing: ✅ The distribution does not have to be paid out in cash. It can sit as an amount owed to the beneficiary. Section 7C does not apply here, it catches loans made to the trust, not amounts the trust owes to a beneficiary. ✅ Source is preserved on the way through. Interest still qualifies for the Section 10(1)(i) exemption. Local dividends remain exempt under Section 10(1)(k). Rental income flows through net of expenses, taxed at the beneficiary's marginal rate. But flow-through is not automatic. Distributions must be resolved and disclosed before year end. No resolution means no conduit, every single year. And the Section 7 attribution rules can break it entirely, pulling income back into the donor's hands when distributions go to a spouse for tax avoidance purposes, minor children, a discretionary trust retaining income, or a non-resident beneficiary. The conduit only works when the trust is actively and correctly managed. Part 3 of the Trust Series. Save this one. Part 4 covers why anyone bothers given everything above, and Part 5 is a real case study. Follow me so you do not miss either. Comment "WORKSHOP" to sign up for my upcoming workshop. #TaxMattersWithMarisca #TrustPlanning #SouthAfricanTax #EstatePlanning #GenerationalWealth DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only. Individual circumstances vary, always consult a registered tax practitioner before making structural decisions. 17/08/2026

Tax rates of trusts wrapped up

A trust pays the highest tax rates in the country. So why do people still use them? This is the part most explanations skip. The answer is the flow-through principle. When a trust earns income, the trustees have a choice. Retain it inside the trust and pay the flat 45% income tax rate, with an effective CGT rate of 36%. Or distribute it to a beneficiary, and that income gets taxed in their hands at their individual marginal rate, which for most beneficiaries is considerably lower. Trust earns, trustees distribute, beneficiary is taxed. That is the conduit. A few things worth knowing: ✅ The distribution does not have to be paid out in cash. It can sit as an amount owed to the beneficiary. Section 7C does not apply here, it catches loans made to the trust, not amounts the trust owes to a beneficiary. ✅ Source is preserved on the way through. Interest still qualifies for the Section 10(1)(i) exemption. Local dividends remain exempt under Section 10(1)(k). Rental income flows through net of expenses, taxed at the beneficiary's marginal rate. But flow-through is not automatic. Distributions must be resolved and disclosed before year end. No resolution means no conduit, every single year. And the Section 7 attribution rules can break it entirely, pulling income back into the donor's hands when distributions go to a spouse for tax avoidance purposes, minor children, a discretionary trust retaining income, or a non-resident beneficiary. The conduit only works when the trust is actively and correctly managed. Part 3 of the Trust Series. Save this one. Part 4 covers why anyone bothers given everything above, and Part 5 is a real case study. Follow me so you do not miss either. Comment "WORKSHOP" to sign up for my upcoming workshop. #TaxMattersWithMarisca #TrustPlanning #SouthAfricanTax #EstatePlanning #GenerationalWealth DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only. Individual circumstances vary, always consult a registered tax practitioner before making structural decisions.

For every South African who's heard "just put it in a trust" and quietly wondered how a trust actually works, here's the whole foundation in one reel. Start with the cast. Three roles: → The Founder creates the trust and usually donates the assets in → The Trustees manage it → The Beneficiaries benefit from its income and assets Then how it's created. An inter vivos trust is set up during your lifetime through a trust deed. A testamentary trust is created by your will, and only comes into existence when you pass away. Then what the beneficiary actually holds, and this is the part that decides who's taxed. A vested right means the income and assets already belong to them, and they're taxed on it. A discretionary right means it could become theirs, but only if the trustees decide. And finally, the trust's status. A normal trust is the default. A special trust is either Type A (for a person with a disability) or Type B (for a minor child under 18). Why status matters: A normal trust is taxed at the highest rates of any person or entity, a flat 45%, with CGT at an effective 36%. A special trust is taxed like an individual instead: 18% to 45%, with CGT at just 18%, half what a normal trust pays. That's the foundation. Part 2 is next: how assets actually get transferred into a trust, and every tax implication that comes with it. Comment “WORKSHOP” to join my upcoming workshop where I go deep on all of this. General principle, not personalised advice. Trust law and tax treatment depend on your specific trust deed and circumstances, always get advice for your situation. #SAtax #trusts #estateplanning #taxplanning #wealthstructuring DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only. Individual circumstances vary, always consult a registered tax practitioner before making structural decisions. 17/08/2026

Trusts in a nutshell

For every South African who's heard "just put it in a trust" and quietly wondered how a trust actually works, here's the whole foundation in one reel. Start with the cast. Three roles: → The Founder creates the trust and usually donates the assets in → The Trustees manage it → The Beneficiaries benefit from its income and assets Then how it's created. An inter vivos trust is set up during your lifetime through a trust deed. A testamentary trust is created by your will, and only comes into existence when you pass away. Then what the beneficiary actually holds, and this is the part that decides who's taxed. A vested right means the income and assets already belong to them, and they're taxed on it. A discretionary right means it could become theirs, but only if the trustees decide. And finally, the trust's status. A normal trust is the default. A special trust is either Type A (for a person with a disability) or Type B (for a minor child under 18). Why status matters: A normal trust is taxed at the highest rates of any person or entity, a flat 45%, with CGT at an effective 36%. A special trust is taxed like an individual instead: 18% to 45%, with CGT at just 18%, half what a normal trust pays. That's the foundation. Part 2 is next: how assets actually get transferred into a trust, and every tax implication that comes with it. Comment “WORKSHOP” to join my upcoming workshop where I go deep on all of this. General principle, not personalised advice. Trust law and tax treatment depend on your specific trust deed and circumstances, always get advice for your situation. #SAtax #trusts #estateplanning #taxplanning #wealthstructuring DISCLAIMER: This content is for general educational purposes only. Individual circumstances vary, always consult a registered tax practitioner before making structural decisions.

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140 Kenneth Kaunda Road
Durban
4051

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00