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Conversion of shares: the tax implications

The current economic downturn has had far reaching consequences. In the South African context various Black Economic Empowerment transactions have been put in jeopardy as a result of declining turnover and profits. Preference shares held in many target companies are as a result being converted into...

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Main Author: Ferreira, hanneri
Format: Thesis
Language:English
English
Published: Department of Private Law 2026
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access_status_str Open Access
author Ferreira, hanneri
author_browse Ferreira, hanneri
author_facet Ferreira, hanneri
author_sort Ferreira, hanneri
collection Thesis
description The current economic downturn has had far reaching consequences. In the South African context various Black Economic Empowerment transactions have been put in jeopardy as a result of declining turnover and profits. Preference shares held in many target companies are as a result being converted into ordinary shares to relieve pressure on the target companies by removing the obligation to pay preference dividends. This paper considers the capital gains tax consequences of such conversions. It is argued that the necessary elements needed to trigger a capital gains tax liability is are not present in such transactions. Based on the theory that an asset consists of a bundle of rights, it could be argued that on the conversion of a share, a disposal of certain rights take place as certain of the rights in that bundle is given up. However, considering the definition of the term 'asset' in the Eighth Schedule to the Income Tax Act, is it argued that no disposal takes place on the conversion of a share of a specific class into a different class. It is further argued that even if it is held that a disposal does take place on the conversion of the shares, no proceeds accrue or is received from the disposal. As a result, the necessary triggers for a capital gains tax liability are not present and the conversion of the shares does not have any adverse capital gains tax liability consequences.
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institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language English
eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:31:30.019Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher Department of Private Law
publisherStr Department of Private Law
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source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/43005 Conversion of shares: the tax implications Ferreira, hanneri tax shares The current economic downturn has had far reaching consequences. In the South African context various Black Economic Empowerment transactions have been put in jeopardy as a result of declining turnover and profits. Preference shares held in many target companies are as a result being converted into ordinary shares to relieve pressure on the target companies by removing the obligation to pay preference dividends. This paper considers the capital gains tax consequences of such conversions. It is argued that the necessary elements needed to trigger a capital gains tax liability is are not present in such transactions. Based on the theory that an asset consists of a bundle of rights, it could be argued that on the conversion of a share, a disposal of certain rights take place as certain of the rights in that bundle is given up. However, considering the definition of the term 'asset' in the Eighth Schedule to the Income Tax Act, is it argued that no disposal takes place on the conversion of a share of a specific class into a different class. It is further argued that even if it is held that a disposal does take place on the conversion of the shares, no proceeds accrue or is received from the disposal. As a result, the necessary triggers for a capital gains tax liability are not present and the conversion of the shares does not have any adverse capital gains tax liability consequences. 2026-03-18T10:40:20Z 2026-03-18T10:40:20Z 2010 2026-03-18T10:27:50Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters LLM http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43005 en eng application/pdf Department of Private Law Faculty of Law University of Cape Town
spellingShingle tax
shares
Ferreira, hanneri
Conversion of shares: the tax implications
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Conversion of shares: the tax implications
title_full Conversion of shares: the tax implications
title_fullStr Conversion of shares: the tax implications
title_full_unstemmed Conversion of shares: the tax implications
title_short Conversion of shares: the tax implications
title_sort conversion of shares the tax implications
topic tax
shares
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43005
work_keys_str_mv AT ferreirahanneri conversionofsharesthetaximplications