Money Tips # 91 - 95

91. Check the value of your motor vehicle. One racket perpetrated by insurance companies is to increase premiums annually, when they should be decreased to take account of the declining value of your vehicle. When you claim, you will only be paid the actual value, not the insured value.

92. When making a short-term insurance claim, first find out what effect the claim will have on your no- claim bonus. If the claim (after payment of the excess) is relatively small, it may be better not to claim and keep your no-claim bonus intact. A no-claim bonus can equal as much as a 60 percent reduction on premiums after five years.

93. Use the R10 000 exemption from capital gains tax. Every year you are entitled to claim an exemption of R10 000 against any capital gain. Say, for example, you want to cash in an investment with a capital gain of R20 000 in November. Instead, cash in half in November and half after March 1, the start of the new tax year.

94. Interest-bearing investments become far more attractive when you don’t have to pay tax. For the current tax year, the first R10 000 in interest income is tax exempt if you are under the age of 65, and R15 000 if you are over the age of 65.

95. If you are investing for an income and have exceeded your tax-free interest exemption, consider cashing in investment capital that you can offset against your R10 000 capital gains tax exemption.

Di pos oleh Arbain Muhayat pada 08 June 2008