Do your Tax with TaxTim and WIN R10,000  More info   T&C's apply


Why do I pay high tax on a little salary?



I'm an educator who earns about 20k gross salary and I'm also earning my late husbands annuity income of 10k pm, but whenever I go to SARS to submit my returns it turns out that I owe them a lot of money because in 2013 I paid 28k and now they want 31k so I need help as I dont understand how it gets to that high amount every year.

TaxTim TaxTim says:
8 February 2015 at 20:36

Unfortunately the fund you receive the annuity from does not know you have other income and therefore takes off too little tax. However you are taxed on all your income combined and the more you earn the more you pay. This is why each year you have to pay into SARS.

Hump says:
8 February 2015 at 20:50

Is there a way I can avoid to pay so much money every year

TaxTim TaxTim says:
8 February 2015 at 23:05

You would need to ask the fund to deduct tax on the annuity each month so that you will not have to pay in at the end of each year.

This entry was posted in Tax Q&A and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.




Submit your tax return right here!

TaxTim will help you:

 Do Your Tax Return Easily
 Avoid penalties
 Maximise your refund

Tim uses your answers to complete your income tax return instantly and professionally, with everything filled in in the right place.

Let Tim submit your tax return direct to SARS in just a few clicks!

Get started

Blog Categories


Ask TaxTim

Got a question you want answered about tax?

Visit our helpdesk →

Get SARS Tax Deadlines in your Inbox
We'll tell you when you need to file, along with tax tips and updates.