Insolvency and voluntary sequestration

insolventa-anp6The term “insolvency” relates to both sequestration (for individuals and trusts) and liquidation (for companies and close corporations). Sequestration can either be effected by voluntary sequestration or compulsory sequestration. This article will deal with voluntary sequestration, where the person applying to the Court for sequestration is the insolvent individual himself/herself.

What does “insolvent” mean?

If someone is insolvent (bankrupt), the amount of his debts are more than the value of his assets and income, and he is unable to pay his creditors (a creditor is a person or business he owes money to).

How does voluntary sequestration work?

When a person becomes insolvent, she can apply to the Court for her estate to be sequestrated. There are, however, three requirements that she will have to meet before the Court will allow her estate to be sequestrated:

  1. She must prove that her debts are actually more than the value of her assets.
  2. She must have enough assets to pay the costs of the sequestration application.
  3. She must prove that the sequestration will benefit the persons and/or businesses she owes money to i.e. they must get paid (at least something) if her estate is sequestrated.

If the Court grants permission for sequestration, it will appoint a trustee/curator by court order who must manage the insolvent estate to the equal benefit of all the creditors.

The trustee/curator will sell her assets and use the money to pay her creditors. If the money from the sale of her assets is not enough to pay all creditors in full, the money will be divided pro rata between the creditors based on the amount owed to each creditor and the order of preference of payment. Any outstanding debt that remains thereafter will be written off by the creditors.

What happens when the voluntary sequestration process has been completed?

The insolvent person can start over with no debt to his name. This makes it sound as if a person can make debt, then apply for voluntary sequestration and walk away without paying his creditors. However, being sequestrated does have disadvantages.

What are the disadvantages of voluntary sequestration?

The following disadvantages should be considered before applying for a voluntary sequestration:

  1. The sequestrated person’s credit record will get a blow as he/she will be blacklisted at credit bureaus and lose their creditworthy status.
  2. The sequestrated person can’t borrow money or incur any other debt until he/she is rehabilitated.

The sequestrated person will qualify as being rehabilitated when declared as such by the Court, which can happen four years after the sequestration date or sometimes sooner. If the Court does not declare the sequestrated person rehabilitated, he/she will automatically become rehabilitated ten years after his/her sequestration date.

3. If a person’s estate is sequestrated, it may lead to prohibition of membership of certain professional bodies until he/she is rehabilitated, or even future exclusion from certain professions.

Who may apply for voluntary sequestration?

  1. In the case of a natural person becoming insolvent, the person himself/herself may apply, or his/her representative.
  2. Where spouses are married in community of property, both spouses must apply for voluntary sequestration at the same time.
  3. The partners in a partnership who are resident in South Africa or their representative may apply for voluntary sequestration.
  4. When a deceased estate is insolvent, the executor of the estate may lodge an application for voluntary sequestration.
  5. The curator (curator bonis) of an estate where the individual is unable to handle his/her own affairs e.g. if the individual is mentally unfit.
  6. An insolvent trust.

Voluntary sequestration is not the panacea it appears to be at the surface. Although it might be a solution for the financial problems of an insolvent person, there is a price to pay in terms of losing a creditworthy status and/or a profession together with a good reputation which might have taken years to build up.

The decision to apply for voluntary sequestration should not be taken lightly and should only be used as a last resort after all other possible avenues have been exhausted.

Should you need more information on insolvency and voluntary sequestration, please contact your legal advisor.

This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied upon as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your financial adviser for specific and detailed advice.

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This article is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied upon as professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your financial adviser for specific and detailed advice. (E&OE)

 

Is it beneficial to create a trust?

A3BA Trust can be described as a legal relationship which has been created by the founder, who places assets under the control of Trustees. This either happens during the founder’s lifetime (inter vivos trust) or at the death of the founder (testamentary trust). This article will focus on the advantages and disadvantages of an inter vivos trust.

The advantage of a trust is firstly, that inter vivos trusts can be used to minimise estate duty. No estate duty should be payable on assets owned by the Trust as a Trust does not terminate or come to an end, since it has perpetual succession. Estate duty is currently taxed at 20% of the gross estate value. This saving in estate duty can be substantially large, especially for high net worth individuals who are worth millions of rands. Secondly, as the Trust’s assets are not owned by the beneficiaries, the creditors of the beneficiaries do not have a claim regarding the assets of the Trust. This advantage is especially important for people who are exposed to potential liability. Companies as well as individuals are able to transfer assets to Trusts. Lastly, because Trusts have perpetual succession, beneficiaries will be able to continue enjoying the benefit of the Trust assets even if one of the Trustees were to pass away.

The disadvantages are firstly, the costs of setting up a Trust, which can be high. It may cost up to R 20 000 to set up a Trust. If immovable property is transferred to the Trust then transfer duty needs to be paid. The founders of the Trust may also be liable to pay Donations tax, which is taxable at 20% of the value of the assets transferred to the Trust. Transfer duty is taxed according to a sliding scale. Secondly, Trustees could find themselves personally liable for losses suffered by the Trust if it can be proven that they did not act with care, diligence and skill in terms of section 9 of the Trust Property Control Act. It is important to note that “skill” requires more than just acting in good faith. Trustees may be proven to be negligent not only if they invested in risky investments, but also if they invested capital too conservatively, causing the capital not to grow sufficiently. Trustees also need to be aware of the fact that they can still be held liable if only one Trustee has signing power on behalf of the Trust and he/she makes a poor decision that holds all the Trustees liable for his negligence.

The founder of the Trust needs to recognise that the assets in the Trust do not belong to him/her anymore. The assets belong to the Trust. Should this loss of control (from founder to Trust) not occur, the Trust may be seen as an alter ego of the founder, which could result in the assets being included in creditors’ claims as well as having estate duty consequences.

The earnings from the assets in the Trust are taxed at 40%, and interest exemptions do not apply to Trusts. Also, the inclusion rate for Capital Gains tax for an inter vivos trust is 66.6% whereas the inclusion rate for individuals is 33.3%. Lastly, as we can see from the above, a Trust is not for everyone.

It is important to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages before deciding whether to go ahead or not. The best decision would be to speak to a certified financial planner or attorney who can assist you in making the correct decision regarding your personal situation.

This newsletter is a general information sheet and should not be used or relied on as legal or other professional advice. No liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions nor for any loss or damage arising from reliance upon any information herein. Always contact your legal adviser for specific and detailed advice. E&OE (Errors and omissions excepted.)