This book was written with the first year/first time income tax student in mind.

It uses simple language and the unique aspects of the book are the flow charts used to visually explain some of the more complicated aspects of taxation, the inclusion of a glossary, and the reproductions of the actual forms that SARS requires. This makes for a very practical application of the theory being taught. It covers all the topics needed by a taxpayer who is required to fill in an IT12 tax return, which means that it will not only be valuable to the students, but also to the 'man on the street' who wishes to understand and learn more about his taxable income calculation. The benefit of working through the book is that taxpayers will know what is expected of them during the income tax assessment process and will be able to verify their income tax calculations.

All examples and practical application questions in the book relate to the year of assessment from 1 March to 28 February (the year of assessment). Unless indicated otherwise, all dates fall into the aforementioned tax year.