DESCRIPTION AND PROGRAMME PURPOSE

The tax landscape in South Africa has undergone significant changes over the past 10 years. Income tax has become more complex than ever before and an ever-increasing percentage of the South African taxpayers resort to engaging the services of a Tax Practitioner in order to assist them in complying with the country’s tax laws. The promulgation of the Tax Administration Amendment Act of 2012 was an important step in the process of professionalising the role of Tax Practitioner.

This Act now requires Tax Practitioners to register with a recognised controlling body and with SARS – a change that is intended to give a framework that will make sure that tax practitioners are properly qualified. In addition to the role of Tax Practitioner, there are many other career paths that benefit greatly from a solid grounding in Taxation; for example, bookkeeping and accounting, financial planning, general commerce roles, law, and others.

The purpose of the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree is to provide a broad but solid educational foundation to students in the field of commerce, including various key discipline areas such as business management, accounting and economics. The qualification has been designed to provide the knowledge base, practical competence and application skills that would enable students either to enter the labour market or to pursue further studies in this field. Milpark’s BCom with major in Taxation is aimed at providing the undergraduate knowledge and skill required in the field of taxation. In addition, the more traditional commerce fields such as accounting, business management, marketing, economics and finance, are covered.

The BCom degree appears on the Financial Sector Conduct Authority’s (FSCA) list of recognised qualifications for FAIS Fit and Proper purposes. 

WHO SHOULD ENROL 

This degree is ideal for students who want to pursue career in taxation in various disciplines such as personal income tax, corporate tax, estate duty and VAT. Tax professionals have scarce skills sets, which are sought out both by many multinationals and by government.

The Tax profession touches the life of every business and every citizen, both as contributors to the tax system and recipients or users of public services such as education, health services, unemployment support, and infrastructure and protection services. The professional development of both tax practitioners and tax auditors is therefore vital for the future of our country and its economy.

If you would like to be one of the contributors to individual taxpayers, multi-nationals and government, then the tax stream is for you.

PROGRAMME OUTCOMES

Successful completion of this qualification should enable the student to:

1. Demonstrate awareness of the management and leadership competences necessary to operate in the local or international business environment.
2. Demonstrate awareness of the essential components of an effective operations strategy in a business environment.
3. Demonstrate awareness of essential economic theory and its managerial and business implications.
4. Conduct business research with appropriate supervision in a business environment.

Kindly note that there is an overview factsheet available that provides information on all the different BCom majors offered by Milpark.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

MAJOR: TAXATION: 384 CREDITS

In the table below, the "Year 1, Year 2, and Year 3" columns correspond with the complexity of the coursework and progression of the academic levels. These labels align with international BCom standards. The columns do not represent the time it takes for a student to complete the qualification at Milpark. Students have a minimum of four (4) years, and a maximum of nine (9) years, to complete the qualification. This allows for flexibility on the learning journey, at a pace that enables students the best possible opportunity for successful outcomes.

The admission criteria for the Bachelor in Commerce degree are as follows:

If the candidate matriculated in 2007 or earlier

Candidates who matriculated in 2007 or earlier require:

1. A Senior Certificate with matriculation endorsement/exemption for degree studies. Candidates who have a
Senior Certificate but who do not meet the matriculation endorsement/exemption requirements stated above, may apply to Universities South Africa (USAF), for mature age exemption (https://mb.usaf.ac.za/); and

2. A symbol of E or higher for Mathematics on HG, or a symbol of D or higher for Mathematics on SG. Candidates who do not meet the Mathematics requirement may be offered admission on condition that they successfully complete the BCom bridging programme, if they have achieved at least a symbol of E on HG or a C on SG in anytwo of the following subjects:

• Economics
• Business Economics
• Accounting
• Physical Science or Physics/Chemistry
• Natural Science or Biology.

If the candidate matriculated in 2008 or later

Candidates who matriculated in 2008 or later require:

1. A National Senior Certificate (NSC) with a minimum of 50% in four NSC 20-credit subjects, including English as the language of instruction at Milpark Education, as certified by Umalusi. Candidates who have a National Senior Certificate (NSC) but who do not meet the matriculation endorsement/exemption requirements stated above, may apply to Universities South Africa (USAF), for mature age exemption (https://mb.usaf.ac.za/); and

2. A minimum mark of 50% for Mathematics or 70% for Mathematics Literacy. Candidates who do not meet the Mathematics requirement but who have achieved a minimum mark of 50% or higher in any two of the following subjects may be offered admission on condition that they successfully complete the bridging programme:

• Economics
• Business Economics
• Accounting
• Physical Science or Physics/Chemistry
• Natural Science or Biology.

Candidates who have completed a relevant Higher Certificate (NQF 5) or Diploma (NQF 6) in the field of business or commerce, may also be admitted to the BCom degree.

Other certificates

Any applicant who has a certificate other than a South African National Senior Certificate has to provide:

• a SAQA Certificate of Equivalence, if they want to enrol for a Higher Certificate, Advanced Certificate, Diploma or Postgraduate qualification (www.saqa.org.za)
• or a USAF Exemption Certificate, if they want to enrol for Bachelor’s degree (https://mb.usaf.ac.za/).

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) applications

Milpark admits a small number of students onto its programme via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). Applicants interested in applying via RPL will be considered individually by the relevant Dean.

Downloads

Information Pack

Undergraduate Prospectus

Fees & Funding

Textbooks