Income Tax Act, 1962 (Act No. 58 of 1962)SchedulesTenth Schedule : Oil and Gas Activities8. Fiscal stability |
(1)
| (a) | The Minister may enter into a binding agreement with any oil and gas company in respect of an oil and gas right held by that company, and that agreement so entered into must guarantee that the provisions of this Schedule (as at the date on which the agreement was concluded) apply in respect of that right as long as the right is held by the oil and gas company. |
| (b) | Notwithstanding subparagraph (a), the Minister may enter into a binding agreement with any company in anticipation of an oil and gas right to be acquired by that company, and that agreement must guarantee that the provisions of this Schedule (as at the date on which the oil and gas right is granted) apply in respect of that right as long as that right is held by the oil and gas company: Provided that this binding agreement has no force and effect if the oil and gas right is not granted within one year after the agreement is concluded. |
| (c) | If an oil and gas company jointly holds with another oil and gas company an exploration right, as defined in section 1 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act, and any one of those oil and gas companies has concluded an agreement as contemplated in subparagraph (1) in respect of that right, all of the fiscal stability rights in terms of that agreement relating to that exploration right apply in respect of both of those companies. |
[Paragraph 8(1)(c) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 124(1) of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2015 (Act No. 25 of 2015) - deemed to have come into operation on 1 April 2015]
[Paragraph 8(1) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 160(a) of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013), GG 37158, dated 12 December 2013]
(2)
| (a) | In the case of a disposal of an exploration right, as defined in section 1 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act an oil and gas company that has concluded an agreement as contemplated in subparagraph (1) in respect of that right may, as part of that disposal, assign all of its fiscal stability rights in terms of that agreement relating to the exploration right disposed of to any other oil and gas company. |
| (b) | In the case of a disposal of a production right, as defined in section 1 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act an oil and gas company that has concluded an agreement as contemplated in subparagraph (1) in respect of that right disposed of may, as part of that disposal, assign all its fiscal stability rights in terms of that agreement relating to the production right disposed of to another company if that other company is a company within the same group of companies as the oil and gas company transferring the fiscal stability right at the time the agreement is concluded. |
[Paragraph 8(2) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 160(b) of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013), GG 37158, dated 12 December 2013]
| (3) | If an oil and gas company holding a participating interest in an oil and gas right has concluded an agreement contemplated in subparagraph (1), the terms and conditions of that agreement will apply to all participating interests subsequently held by that company in that oil and gas right. |
| (4) | An oil and gas company that has concluded an agreement contemplated in subparagraph (1) in respect of an oil and gas right may at any time unilaterally terminate the agreement in respect of that oil and gas right so held with effect from the commencement of the year of assessment immediately following the notification date of the termination. |
| (5) | The portion of taxable income and profits of an oil and gas company derived from all the oil and gas rights governed by the version of the Schedule applicable to an oil and gas right covered by a binding agreement referred to in subparagraph (1), must be determined in terms of that version of the Schedule. |
| (6) | If the State fails to comply with the terms of the agreement contemplated in subparagraph (1) and that failure has a material adverse economic impact on the taxation of income or profits of the oil and gas company that is party to that agreement, that oil and gas company is entitled to compensation for the loss of market value caused by that failure (and interest at the prescribed rate calculated on the compensation from the date of non-compliance) or to an alternative remedy that otherwise eliminates the full impact of that failure. |
(7) For purposes of this paragraph—
(a) an "oil and gas right" means any—
| (i) | exploration right or production right as defined in section 1 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act or any right or interest therein; |
[Paragraph 8(7)(a)(i) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 160(c) of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013), GG 37158, dated 12 December 2013]
| (ii) | exploration right acquired by virtue of a conversion contemplated in item 4 of Schedule II to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act or any interest therein; or |
[Paragraph 8(7)(a)(ii) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 160(c) of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013), GG 37158, dated 12 December 2013]
| (iii) | production right acquired by virtue of a conversion contemplated in item 5 of Schedule II to the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act or any interest therein; and |
[Paragraph 8(7)(a)(iii) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 159(c) of the Taxation Laws Amendment Act, 2013 (Act No. 31 of 2013), GG 37158, dated 12 December 2013]
| (b) | an exploration right, a renewal of that exploration right and an initial production right converted from any exploration right or renewal thereof held by a company will all be deemed to be one and the same oil and gas right in the hands of that company to the extent that those rights relate to the same geographical area. |
[Paragraph 8(7)(b) of the Tenth Schedule substituted by section 89(1) of the Revenue Laws Amendment Act, 2007 (Act No. 35 of 2007)]