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This study evaluates the extent and quality of tax transparency reporting among the Top 40 firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), distinguishing between mandatory tax disclosures and voluntary transparency practices. A qualitative, disclosure-based research design was employed, involving content analysis of publicly available annual reports, integrated reports, and sustainability reports. A structured tax transparency framework grounded in stakeholder theory and legitimacy theory, and adapted from prior empirical studies was applied to systematically assess tax-related disclosures. Findings indicate high compliance with mandatory tax disclosure requirements, reflecting strong adherence to accounting standards and regulatory obligations. In contrast, voluntary tax transparency shows considerable variation: firms predominantly provide narrative, policy-oriented, and governance-related information, while detailed, forward-looking, and jurisdiction-specific disclosures remain limited. The discussion highlights that voluntary transparency is shaped by stakeholder expectations, legitimacy concerns, and perceived reputational and commercial risks, leading to selective disclosure. Regulatory compliance emerges as the primary driver of tax reporting, whereas voluntary practices are influenced by firm-specific and contextual factors. The results hold relevance for investors, regulators, and policymakers seeking greater corporate accountability, and for standard-setters aiming to enhance the consistency and depth of tax transparency reporting. Overall, the study enriches the limited literature on corporate tax transparency in emerging markets by offering contemporary empirical evidence from South Africa and identifying key areas requiring improvement in voluntary tax disclosures.

Purpose: This article evaluated the decline of registered auditors (RAs) and its impact on the future of the assurance industry in South Africa. Auditors play a critical role in ensuring the transparency, trust, and credibility of financial statements. The decrease in the number of registered auditors has become a pressing issue, raising concerns about the assurance industry’s ability to maintain a sufficient number of registered auditors and continue providing assurance services to public and private entities. Methodology: A qualitative Delphi methodology was employed, involving interviews with RAs who are registered with the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors (IRBA). Eight RAs participated in structured interviews. This approach enabled the researcher to gather expert opinions, identify emerging trends, and explore challenges and opportunities within the audit profession related to the decline of RAs. Main findings: The decline of RAs is straining client demands, increasing workloads, and leading to a shortage of audit firms, which in turn affects audit quality and methodologies. Audit firms struggle to attract and retain talent due to regulatory burdens, economic pressures, and concerns about work–life balance. These pressures have resulted in higher audit fees, increased compliance costs, and more extensive training requirements. Smaller audit firms are especially impacted, with some downscaling their assurance services or exiting the market entirely. Practical implications: This study underscores the pressing need for regulatory bodies, such as the IRBA, to address the challenges faced by audit firms, particularly in terms of compliance and workforce retention. Proactive strategies are required to preserve the quality and accessibility of assurance services. Contribution: This study contributes to the ongoing discourse on the future of the audit profession by offering grounded insights into how the industry might sustain itself amid a declining number of RAs and changing professional dynamics.

Aim: This article explores the contributing factors to the decline in the number of auditors globally and aims to provide the consequences and possible recommendations. Auditors play a critical role in ensuring transparency, trust, and credibility of financial statements. However, the profession is experiencing a decline across the globe. The decrease in the number of registered auditors has become a pressing issue, raising concerns about the future of the assurance industry’s ability to maintain the number of registered auditors and continue providing assurance services to public and private entities or companies. Methodology: A scoping-review methodology was adopted to analyse the existing literature on the global decline in the number of auditors. This approach utilises research evidence to identify trends, challenges, and opportunities within the audit profession. Relevant studies were sourced from databases such as ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate, as well as the grey literature. Main findings: This study identifies a combination of factors driving the decline of auditors globally. Economic pressures, such as cost reduction initiatives and outsourcing, have impacted the demand for traditional auditing services. Complex regulatory requirements have increased barriers to entry, while technological advancements, such as artificial intelligence, are disrupting traditional auditing roles. Additionally, the profession suffers from negative perceptions regarding workload, remuneration, and work–life balance, discouraging new entrants. Practical implications: The findings emphasise the urgent need for the auditing profession to adapt to evolving challenges. Stakeholders, including regulatory bodies and professional organisations, must address issues such as technological integration, career development pathways, and regulatory simplification. Enhanced public awareness campaigns and training initiatives are critical to attracting and retaining professional talent. Contribution: This study contributes to the limited body of knowledge on the global decline of auditors by creating a broad spectrum of evidence. It highlights actionable strategies to address the profession’s challenges and provides a foundation for future research on sustaining the relevance of auditors in a dynamic global economy.

Tax practitioners (such as accountants and bookkeepers) are important enablers of tax compliance. Taxpayers, particularly small businesses, look to tax practitioners for expert advice because of increasingly complex tax legislation. This study’s purpose was to examine tax practitioners’ perspectives on tax policy and SME compliance in South Africa. This study looks at the perspective of tax practitioners to extend information on tax policy and its effect on the tax compliance of SMEs. A total of 90% of companies in South Africa are classified as SMEs, which account for more than 80% of employment in the economy. Despite the importance of the SME sector in job creation, tax policies and the costs associated with them are major issues affecting the overall regulatory environment and they are identified as a major threat to SMEs’ growth. This study seeks to close this gap by examining practitioners’ perspectives on tax policy and SME compliance in South Africa. This study adopted a quantitative approach using a self-administered questionnaire which was emailed to a sample of 255 tax practitioners by using a link through QuestionPro, and this study applied descriptive statistics in analysing data. This study indicated that tax practitioners have sufficient experience and qualifications to prepare and handle tax matters for SMEs. This study demonstrated that SMEs register for taxes, file annual returns, and pay tax liability within the period stipulated by tax law. It further indicated that being tax-compliant has certain benefits for SMEs. This research is intended to assist tax authorities and the government in better creating measures to address the problem of tax compliance among SMEs in South Africa. This article adds to the body of knowledge because it uses the opinion of tax practitioners to extend debate on tax policy in tax compliance and its effect on the functioning of SMEs.

This study empirically analysed the class ruling at two South African universities. The principles underpinning the Canons of Taxation, Consumption Theory, and the Principle of Neutrality were reviewed as analytical benchmarks. The literature review synthesised prior studies that examined the ruling or explored apportionment practices within universities. A sequential mixed-methods approach was adopted, beginning with a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase. Quantitative data were collected from thirty (37) university staff members through an online questionnaire, and descriptive statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 29). The qualitative phase involved online interviews with ten (10) tax and finance professionals engaged in apportionment practices at universities, capturing their experiences, perspectives, and insights. The data were analysed using thematic and transcript analysis with the aid of NVivo (version 20). The findings indicate that respondents believe the South African Revenue Service should revisit and improve the existing ruling. Concerns were raised regarding the lack of continuous training at universities, cost implications, and the complexity of Value-Added Tax apportionment. In the context of a rapidly evolving higher education sector, the VAT Act and the definition of educational services appear to require reform. Based on these findings, the study recommends that SARS consider revising the ruling by removing a prescribed apportionment rate and allowing universities to adopt methods that are practical and aligned with their operational contexts. Consistent with prior research, the study also finds that the input-based method remains complex, and that the definition of Value-Added Tax within the educational sector is overly broad.

The chairperson’s statement (CS) has evolved into a key component of corporate reporting, offering an authoritative, high-level summary of a company’s activities, initiatives, operations, financial performance, and achievements over the preceding financial year, along with insights into future outlooks. Recognised for its informative value, the CS is consistently ranked by stakeholders as the most read and most influential section of the integrated report. Despite its importance, the CS is also a platform where corporate management often engages in impression management (IM) to portray a biased and overly positive image of the company. This study conducted a systematic literature review to examine the IM tactics employed within the CS. Based on the findings, an integrative conceptual framework was developed. Identified IM tactics include readability, textual characteristics, the influence of culture, legal systems and capital markets, paratext and intertextuality, the tone of language, forward-looking statements, retrospective sense-making, ambiguous language, the use of photographs and graphs, impersonalisation and evaluative language, and self-serving attributions. The results highlight that the study of IM strategies in CSs represents a rich and relevant research domain that warrants deeper exploration. Given its qualitative complexity and underexplored dimensions, this area offers several promising avenues for future investigation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate how measures taken to prevent fraud impact the Profitability of insurance companies operating in South Africa. The study adopted a descriptive research approach and surveyed a sample of 70 licensed insurance companies in the country. Primary sources of data were obtained by engaging claims managers in each of the firms, and descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. The results of the study revealed that fraud mitigation measures significantly affect the Profitability of insurance companies in South Africa. The implementation of fraud prevention, detection, and response measures had a positive impact on the Profitability of these firms. Based on the findings, the study recommends that the Insurance Regulatory Authority establish regulations that mandate all insurance providers to collect and report statistics on fraud. Insurance firms should provide their employees with comprehensive training on fraud management and implement strict penalties and disciplinary measures for employees involved in fraudulent activities, as they can undermine the effectiveness of the fraud mitigation process.

This study examined the tax knowledge and behaviour of individual taxpayers in South Africa in light of the crucial link between understanding tax principles and compliance with tax regulations. Individuals’ compliance with tax laws is vital for economic development, with their contributions forming a significant part of overall tax revenue. The study employed a scoping review research methodology, offering a comprehensive analysis of the existing literature within the specified research domain. Secondary data from reputable sources such as ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, ResearchGate, Google, and published reports contributed to the study's foundation. The observation period spanned 2000 to 2023, encapsulating significant developments in the South African tax system, including the introduction of E-filing, changes in tax legislation, and adjustments to the tax rates for individuals. The study highlights that individuals exhibiting a positive attitude towards tax regulations and possessing a robust understanding of tax principles are more likely to comply with tax requirements. Tax knowledge encompasses awareness, comprehension, and familiarity with tax laws, policies, and regulations. It extends to the ability to apply tax laws to specific situations, make informed decisions regarding tax matters, and accurately compute individual tax assessments. The study underscores the critical role of tax knowledge in influencing compliance behaviour among individual taxpayers, providing valuable insights for policymakers and the tax authorities in shaping effective tax policies.

Technology, innovation, and economic shocks have transformed global financial markets. The latest global health pandemic has been compared to the 2008 global financial crisis, as investors, lawmakers, and regulators worldwide worried about economic collapse. Johannesburg Stock Exchange is Africa's largest. The JSE names SIFIs, whose failure would threaten SA's economy. Uncertainty increases failure risk, as seen in the GFC and COVID-19. This study examined how economic shocks affected investor confidence in South Africa's growing financial market, the JSE 15 Index. Analysis of data from January 1999 to December 2023 examined short- and long-term stock market impacts, the role of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) in stability, and investor conduct during crises. The two economic shocks' effects on JSE 15 index stock prices were examined using Autoregressive Distributed Lags (ARDL) and correlation analysis. ARDL determines short- and long-term macroeconomic cointegration. Three macroeconomic variables—interest rates (T-Bills), inflation (CPI), and real effective exchange rate (REER)—are used to track their fluctuation during crises. The analysis shows a shift in investor confidence reflected in a considerable decline in financial performance throughout the crisis. As investors' risk tolerance differs, diversification benefits made abnormal returns unimportant. SARB's monetary and fiscal policies mitigated the pandemic. South African investors were also wary due to internal issues. The study shows that global commodity prices and currency rate volatility affect investor confidence more than domestic policy in emerging economies, adding to behavioural finance.

The aim of this research was to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature regarding the difficulties associated with the adoption and implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs). Additionally, the study sought to propose strategies that could assist with mitigating  the complexities relating to IFRS for SMEs adoption and implementation in South Africa. When analysing the related literature, the study employed the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method and followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. According to the inclusion criteria, the literature regarded as relevant related to studies published during 2017–2023. Furthermore, this study adopted the institutional theory due to its relevance in modelling the roles of regulators and SMEs in the adoption and implementation of IFRS for SMEs.  The study found that the adoption and implementation of IFRS for SMEs presents several challenges, such as low level of education, costs related to the adoption, political pressures, and training and support by regulatory bodies as well as  cultural dimensions. To overcome these obstacles, it is suggested that campaigns be used to raise recognition about the latter, providing extensive educational and regular training for accounting professionals. The study provides an insightful review of the challenges of IFRS for SMEs with specific attention on South Africa, informing the accounting standard setters, policymakers, and professional bodies of the accounting standards.