“This Is Peak Greed”: SARS Angers Mzansi With Closure of Tax Loophole for Married Couples
- SARS closed a major tax benefit that allowed married couples to transfer assets to each other without paying donation tax
- Financial adviser Munya Shumba warned that the new rule applies even to transfers made before the law was officially changed
- The change means couples with an emigrating spouse could now face a tax bill of up to 25% on donations between them
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Source: UGC
South Africans are furious after learning that SARS has moved to close a tax benefit that married couples have long relied on to transfer wealth between each other without cost.
Financial adviser Munya Shumba shared the news in a TikTok video posted on 14 August 2026, warning his followers that the changes could hit harder than most people expect.
Under existing law, spouses could transfer unlimited amounts of cash, property, or shares to each other completely free of donation tax. The arrangement gave couples flexibility, particularly in estate planning, allowing assets to pass to a surviving partner without lengthy delays.
What SARS is changing
The benefit is not disappearing entirely, but according to a 31 July 2026 BusinessTech report that Shumba cited in his video, SARS will now apply a donation tax of between 20% and 25% when one spouse is no longer a South African tax resident. In plain terms, if your partner has emigrated, transferring money to them will no longer be free.
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Shumba laid out the real-world impact using a straightforward example. South Africans are permitted to move R10 million out of the country without questions. A couple with R20 million could previously each take their share and leave cleanly. Under the new rules, a spouse who has already left would trigger a tax bill of R2.5 million on that same transfer.
What makes the change even more contentious is the backdating clause. SARS intends to apply the new rule retrospectively to February 2026, the date the bill was first drafted. Anyone who transferred assets to an emigrating spouse between February and now may already owe tax without knowing it.
Watch Munya Shumba break down exactly how the change affects couples in his TikTok below:
Mzansi reacts to the change
South Africans in the comments had plenty to say:
@Calym_Witthuhn wrote:
“SARS, if you’re listening, I’m giving you a solid tip: the tighter your grip, the more you slip.”
@erfaan321 said:
“SARS is like e-toll.”
@Lady_Dudu added:
“SARS is money hungry.”
@thatbiggent noted:
“SARS will do everything but investigate people that get money unexplainably. 🤩”
More SARS strikes featured on Briefly News
- SARS issued Mboneni Benedicta Maumela with R39.9m in new assessments covering the 2017 to 2023 tax years.
- South African content creator Tsontso shared a screenshot revealing she owes SARS over R700,000 in outstanding tax.
- South Africans who withdrew from the Two-Pot retirement system could be in for a surprise this tax season.
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Source: Briefly News
