9I.     Headquarter companies

 

(1)     Any company that-

 

(a)     is a resident; and

 

(b)     complies with the requirements prescribed by subsection (2),

 

may elect in the form and manner determined by the Commissioner to be a headquarter company for a year of assessment of that company.

 

(2)     A company complies with the requirements contemplated in subsection (1)(b) for a year of assessment of that company if-

 

(a)     for the duration of that year of assessment, each holder of shares in the company (whether alone or together with any other company forming part of the same group of companies as that holder) held 10 per cent or more of the equity shares and voting rights in that company: Provided that in determining whether a company complies with the requirements prescribed by this paragraph in relation to any year of assessment of that company during which the company commenced the carrying on of trade, no regard must be had to any period during that year before which the company so commenced the carrying on of trade;

 

(b)     at the end of that year of assessment and of all previous years of assessment of that company, 80 per cent or more of the cost of the total assets of the company was attributable to one or more of the following:

 

(i)      any interest in equity shares in;

 

(ii)     any debt owed by; or

 

(iii)    sany intellectual property as defined in section 23I(1) that is licensed by that company to,

 

any foreign company in which that company (whether alone or together with any other company forming part of the same group of companies as that company) held at least 10 per cent of the equity shares and voting rights: Provided that in determining-

 

(aa)   the total assets of the company, there must not be taken into account any amount in cash or in the form of a bank deposit payable on demand; and

 

(bb)   whether a company complies with the requirements prescribed by this paragraph in relation to any year of assessment of that company, no regard must be had to any such year of assessment if the company did not at any time during such year of assessment own assets with a total market value exceeding R50 000; and

 

(c)     where the gross income of that company for that year of assessment exceeds R5 million, 50 per cent or more of that gross income consisted of amounts in the form of one or both of the following:

 

(i)      any rental, dividend, interest, royalty or service fee paid or payable by any foreign company contemplated in paragraph (b); or

 

(ii)     any proceeds from the disposal of any interest contemplated in paragraph (b)(i) or of any intellectual property contemplated in paragraph (b)(iii): 

Provided that in determining the gross income of the company, there must not be taken into account any exchange difference determined in terms of section 24I in respect of any exchange item as defined in that section to which that company is a party.

 

(3)     An election made by a company in terms of subsection (1) is effective from the commencement of the year of assessment in respect of which that election is made.

 

(4)     A headquarter company must submit to the Minister an annual report providing the Minister with the information that the Minister may prescribe within such time and containing such information as the Minister may prescribe.