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Calling all CA(SA)'s in Australia


gvr

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To all CA's and Accountants

I'm a CA(SA) planning the "big move" for end 2010/early 2011.

Your input on the following will be appreciated:

1. What Australian tax literature can you recommend? I would like to get up to speed on Australian tax. Is there maybe an Australian equivalent to the South African Huxham and Haupt?

2. I see to register with ICAA you need two Australian CA's to nominate you. How did you go about this after arriving?

3. Do I understand correctly that, if I do not intend to practice in public, I do not have to write the tax and company law exams in order to register with ICAA?

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I'm a NZ Chartered Account (previously a South African CA) and converted to become an Australian CA.

When I inquired nobody asked me if I intended to go into public practice, I was informed that I would have to complete the conversion course for Commercial Law and Taxation, which I did. To be honest I did not find them particularly onerous.

If I were you I'd identify an institution who offers the Income tax course and find out what their reading material is. I see I have Concise Income Tax by Julie Cassidy in my cupboard with the following website www.federationpress.com.au. For the course I now the Act was also compulsory reading. I did my conversion course by correspondence, so you can do it before you arrive in Australia (though you've left it a bit late for this year)

As regards the nomination by an Australian CA, I guess if you work in an environment with other CA's you will be able to get them to nominate you. I had to get 3 NZ CA's, so it was easier for me. It's sort of an articles in disguise.

Now you can help me. How do I find out what my South African tax number is after all these years. Now that I can get my RAF's paid out I need to officially emmigrate, and I need my tax no for that.

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I'm a NZ Chartered Account (previously a South African CA) and converted to become an Australian CA.

When I inquired nobody asked me if I intended to go into public practice, I was informed that I would have to complete the conversion course for Commercial Law and Taxation, which I did. To be honest I did not find them particularly onerous.

If I were you I'd identify an institution who offers the Income tax course and find out what their reading material is. I see I have Concise Income Tax by Julie Cassidy in my cupboard with the following website www.federationpress.com.au. For the course I now the Act was also compulsory reading. I did my conversion course by correspondence, so you can do it before you arrive in Australia (though you've left it a bit late for this year)

As regards the nomination by an Australian CA, I guess if you work in an environment with other CA's you will be able to get them to nominate you. I had to get 3 NZ CA's, so it was easier for me. It's sort of an articles in disguise.

Now you can help me. How do I find out what my South African tax number is after all these years. Now that I can get my RAF's paid out I need to officially emmigrate, and I need my tax no for that.

If you have a contact in a Audit/accounting firm (maybe where you did your articles) they can just put a query in for you with your last RORevenue. Alternatively phone them and you have to provide your SA ID number to get the tax number.

Goodluck!

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To all CA's and Accountants

I'm a CA(SA) planning the "big move" for end 2010/early 2011.

Your input on the following will be appreciated:

1. What Australian tax literature can you recommend? I would like to get up to speed on Australian tax. Is there maybe an Australian equivalent to the South African Huxham and Haupt?

2. I see to register with ICAA you need two Australian CA's to nominate you. How did you go about this after arriving?

3. Do I understand correctly that, if I do not intend to practice in public, I do not have to write the tax and company law exams in order to register with ICAA?

Did hours and hours of research on this very topic :-) As the saying goes - Just Do It! You might still make USQ (Uni of Southern Queensland's) cut-off time, the course starts on 17 July 2010 - it is distance education, so you do it via the internet. LOTS of paperwork to register though and cost almost $ 2000. Good LUCK!!

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The Huxam equivalent in Aus is CCH's Master Tax Guide. Just keep in mind Australian taxation is WAAAAY more complex than South African so the CCH Master Tax Guide is a bit thicker than old Huxam. I would not recommend buying and reading it, will just frustrate you. Do a tax course ... Curtin Uni through Open Universities is also fine (which I did). A pre-grad tax course will give you all the basics you need to know. The Master Tax Guide is overkill.

Personally I am glad I did my tax course after I arrived here. Having worked in the Australian accounting profession for 6 months or so before I did my tax course helped me grasp many of the things quicker. There are some real foreign (I found them foreign) concepts such as franking credits, the 12 possible different CGT event groups, FBT, etc.

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I'm a NZ Chartered Account (previously a South African CA) and converted to become an Australian CA.

When I inquired nobody asked me if I intended to go into public practice, I was informed that I would have to complete the conversion course for Commercial Law and Taxation, which I did. To be honest I did not find them particularly onerous.

If I were you I'd identify an institution who offers the Income tax course and find out what their reading material is. I see I have Concise Income Tax by Julie Cassidy in my cupboard with the following website www.federationpress.com.au. For the course I now the Act was also compulsory reading. I did my conversion course by correspondence, so you can do it before you arrive in Australia (though you've left it a bit late for this year)

As regards the nomination by an Australian CA, I guess if you work in an environment with other CA's you will be able to get them to nominate you. I had to get 3 NZ CA's, so it was easier for me. It's sort of an articles in disguise.

Now you can help me. How do I find out what my South African tax number is after all these years. Now that I can get my RAF's paid out I need to officially emmigrate, and I need my tax no for that.

PM me your SA ID-number and I'll see what I can do

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The Huxam equivalent in Aus is CCH's Master Tax Guide. Just keep in mind Australian taxation is WAAAAY more complex than South African so the CCH Master Tax Guide is a bit thicker than old Huxam. I would not recommend buying and reading it, will just frustrate you. Do a tax course ... Curtin Uni through Open Universities is also fine (which I did). A pre-grad tax course will give you all the basics you need to know. The Master Tax Guide is overkill.

Personally I am glad I did my tax course after I arrived here. Having worked in the Australian accounting profession for 6 months or so before I did my tax course helped me grasp many of the things quicker. There are some real foreign (I found them foreign) concepts such as franking credits, the 12 possible different CGT event groups, FBT, etc.

Thanks Jannie. I studied part time while doing my articles and found that the practical knowledge gained while working helped a lot in the studies (especially with something like tax). So, I think I'll wait till I'm there before doing the courses.

In general, does the employers/recruitment agencies in Australia recognize and attach any value to the CA(SA) qualification?

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The employers and recruitment agents in Aus do value CA(SA) ... but it is not the be all and end all as you would find in SA many times. They are as much interested in you experience. If you are a CA and worked the past 10 years in commerce don't expect an audit roll at an audit firm or vise versa. Your work experience will count as much as your academic qualification, so boost that work experience in your resume.

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