Someone asked me a thought-provoking question a few weeks ago: “If you could give only one piece of advice to anyone starting out in business today, what would it be”?
Naturally, I had to think about this for a moment as quite a lot of meaningful things came to mind. Considering I was only permitted a single piece of advice, I answered as follows: “Just pay your taxes!”.
The person looked perplexed.
Let me explain, I said…
YOU WILL NEVER CATCH UP
If you don’t pay your taxes, you are going to get caught out at some point; it’s as simple as that. And once those unpaid taxes start snowballing, catching up will be costly and highly stressful.
Trust me when I say this - you can never get the time back, and unpaid taxes leave you in a wake of a cash flow nightmare, which just gets worse once penalties start rolling in.
To pay your taxes, your business needs to operate according to specific financial principles, and this requires a decision from you, from the start, not to run after shortcuts or even worse, trying to outplay the system.
Pay your taxes, but use professionals to help you.
USE PROFESSIONALS - ALWAYS!
Regular readers of my blogs will know that I am a stickler for using the right professionals when you require specialized (financial, legal, property, healthcare, etc) advice.
Your old varsity buddy might have been the life of the dorm back in the day, but might not be the best when making life-changing business decisions!
Pay professionals to give you the right advice. Find yourself a registered tax practitioner, and discuss the optimal tax structure for your business with someone who knows the tax laws.
The same applies to other areas, such as funding, accounting, and legal issues. It pays to pay!
IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE
It doesn’t matter how you turn the tables; in the end, all accountability in your business stops with you. You remain responsible for all aspects of your business, and while you can claim ignorance as to who the 12th president of the United States was, you can’t say the same for your business.
It’s your job to know, and it can never be passed down to someone else, even if they are the MD or CEO.
As long as your name appears at the top or the bottom of the letterhead, you have no excuses and you are accountable.
Make sure you know what’s going on in your business at all times!
YOU HAVE RIGHTS, BUT IT’S YOUR JOB TO KNOW THEM
It is of utmost importance that you know what you are permitted to do. I am not just referring to finances and taxes; I also mean in the broader sense of the word. Specifically, your rights and obligations that are required within your sector or type of business.
For example, let’s say you are a plumber. Your consumers will expect, at the very least, that you know what the local laws and bylaws state about drainage pipe sizes or geyser installations.
Similarly, as a business owner, you have certain legal and financial obligations, such as paying income tax. While you may not know all the different calculations and concessions, you should know, at the very least, what income tax is and that it is payable.
Of course, no one expects you to know it all, but that’s no excuse for not knowing your rights, even if it's just high-level rights for a start.
DO THINGS RIGHT - FROM THE START
It’s tempting to be baited into believing stories of fantastical tax reductions, all while paying lower fees. My advice? Beware the charlatans among us!
If you have a successful business and you have a high turnover, you will be paying significantly higher amounts of tax. All the more reason to set your business up in the right, most optimal way. This requires knowledge of our tax and commerce laws, professional experience, and most importantly, accountability towards a profession.
The allure of tax savings is usually not worth the pain in the long run. Just do the right thing from the start - it's so much easier, so much less complicated, and you will sleep a whole lot better at night.
This is a crucial point to keep in mind.
IN CLOSING
If you’ve read this far, I'm guessing I've made a few points that resonated with you.
The main reason I wanted to write this article was that I have an extraordinary compassion for the lone business owner. This entrepreneur fights to stay alive, pay bills, pay staff, and try to prosper each day.
All of my points above come down to an important point, which is this: Unlike Cher’s 1989 hit, we can’t turn back time!
If you’ve been in business for several years and end up with a severe tax backlog because you thought you'd catch up later, I'm here to tell you, you won’t.
Time passed, like revenue, is time gone. It’s just best to do the right thing in your business, from the start.
It takes a long time to become good at what you do in your business. It takes years of working your way through some rugged terrain and many unforeseen troubles. And many companies perish along the way.
If you can manage to keep going and stay afloat, please don’t throw away all that hard work!
For any assistance with critical business decisions, tax queries, analyzing your financial data, or for any accounting-related services you may require, please take a look at our comprehensive portfolio of services or call us on +27 82 561 7024.
You can also send us an email at myrtleo@mbasa.org for more information.
Naturally, I had to think about this for a moment as quite a lot of meaningful things came to mind. Considering I was only permitted a single piece of advice, I answered as follows: “Just pay your taxes!”.
The person looked perplexed.
Let me explain, I said…
YOU WILL NEVER CATCH UP
If you don’t pay your taxes, you are going to get caught out at some point; it’s as simple as that. And once those unpaid taxes start snowballing, catching up will be costly and highly stressful.
Trust me when I say this - you can never get the time back, and unpaid taxes leave you in a wake of a cash flow nightmare, which just gets worse once penalties start rolling in.
To pay your taxes, your business needs to operate according to specific financial principles, and this requires a decision from you, from the start, not to run after shortcuts or even worse, trying to outplay the system.
Pay your taxes, but use professionals to help you.
USE PROFESSIONALS - ALWAYS!
Regular readers of my blogs will know that I am a stickler for using the right professionals when you require specialized (financial, legal, property, healthcare, etc) advice.
Your old varsity buddy might have been the life of the dorm back in the day, but might not be the best when making life-changing business decisions!
Pay professionals to give you the right advice. Find yourself a registered tax practitioner, and discuss the optimal tax structure for your business with someone who knows the tax laws.
The same applies to other areas, such as funding, accounting, and legal issues. It pays to pay!
IGNORANCE IS NOT AN EXCUSE
It doesn’t matter how you turn the tables; in the end, all accountability in your business stops with you. You remain responsible for all aspects of your business, and while you can claim ignorance as to who the 12th president of the United States was, you can’t say the same for your business.
It’s your job to know, and it can never be passed down to someone else, even if they are the MD or CEO.
As long as your name appears at the top or the bottom of the letterhead, you have no excuses and you are accountable.
Make sure you know what’s going on in your business at all times!
YOU HAVE RIGHTS, BUT IT’S YOUR JOB TO KNOW THEM
It is of utmost importance that you know what you are permitted to do. I am not just referring to finances and taxes; I also mean in the broader sense of the word. Specifically, your rights and obligations that are required within your sector or type of business.
For example, let’s say you are a plumber. Your consumers will expect, at the very least, that you know what the local laws and bylaws state about drainage pipe sizes or geyser installations.
Similarly, as a business owner, you have certain legal and financial obligations, such as paying income tax. While you may not know all the different calculations and concessions, you should know, at the very least, what income tax is and that it is payable.
Of course, no one expects you to know it all, but that’s no excuse for not knowing your rights, even if it's just high-level rights for a start.
DO THINGS RIGHT - FROM THE START
It’s tempting to be baited into believing stories of fantastical tax reductions, all while paying lower fees. My advice? Beware the charlatans among us!
If you have a successful business and you have a high turnover, you will be paying significantly higher amounts of tax. All the more reason to set your business up in the right, most optimal way. This requires knowledge of our tax and commerce laws, professional experience, and most importantly, accountability towards a profession.
The allure of tax savings is usually not worth the pain in the long run. Just do the right thing from the start - it's so much easier, so much less complicated, and you will sleep a whole lot better at night.
This is a crucial point to keep in mind.
IN CLOSING
If you’ve read this far, I'm guessing I've made a few points that resonated with you.
The main reason I wanted to write this article was that I have an extraordinary compassion for the lone business owner. This entrepreneur fights to stay alive, pay bills, pay staff, and try to prosper each day.
All of my points above come down to an important point, which is this: Unlike Cher’s 1989 hit, we can’t turn back time!
If you’ve been in business for several years and end up with a severe tax backlog because you thought you'd catch up later, I'm here to tell you, you won’t.
Time passed, like revenue, is time gone. It’s just best to do the right thing in your business, from the start.
It takes a long time to become good at what you do in your business. It takes years of working your way through some rugged terrain and many unforeseen troubles. And many companies perish along the way.
If you can manage to keep going and stay afloat, please don’t throw away all that hard work!
For any assistance with critical business decisions, tax queries, analyzing your financial data, or for any accounting-related services you may require, please take a look at our comprehensive portfolio of services or call us on +27 82 561 7024.
You can also send us an email at myrtleo@mbasa.org for more information.
CONTACT US
Please contact us for an obligation free consultation. Our team works remotely and we are available for on-line or local in person meetings.
082 561 7024
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myrtleo@mbasa.org