14. The Commissioner or any officer may, for the purposes of the administration of this Act in relation to any person liable for the tax, require that person or any other person to furnish such information (whether orally or in writing), document or thing as the Commissioner or that officer may require. Obtaining of information, documents or things at certain premises 15. (1) The Commissioner, or an officer named in an authorisation letter, may, for the purposes of the administration of this Act in relation to any person liable for the tax, require that person or any other person, with reasonable prior notice, to furnish, produce or make available such information, document or thing as the Commissioner or that officer may require to inspect, audit, examine or obtain. (2) For the purposes of the inspection, audit, examination or obtaining of that information, document or thing, the Commissioner or an officer referred to in subsection (1) may call on any person— (a) at any premises; and (b) at any time during that person's normal business hours. (3) For the purposes of subsection (2), the Commissioner or any officer referred to in subsection (1), may not enter any dwelling-house or domestic premises (except any part thereof as may be occupied or used for the purposes of trade) without the consent of the occupant. (4) Any officer exercising any power under this section must on demand produce the authorisation letter issued to him or her. Inquiry 16. (1) The Commissioner or an officer referred to in section 12(4) may authorise any person to conduct an inquiry for the purposes of the administration of this Act. (2) Where the Commissioner, or any officer referred to in section 12(4), authorises a person to conduct an inquiry, the Commissioner or that officer must apply to a judge for an order designating a presiding officer before whom the inquiry is to be held. (3) A judge may, on application by the Commissioner or any officer referred to in section 12(4), grant an order in terms of which a person referred to in subsection (7) is designated to act as presiding officer at the inquiry referred to in this section. (4) An application under subsection (2) must be supported by information supplied under oath or solemn declaration, establishing the facts on which the application is based. (5) A judge may grant the order referred to in subsection (3) if he or she is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe that— (a) (i) any person has not complied with his or her obligations in terms of this Act; or (ii) any person has committed an offence in terms of this Act; (b) any information, document or thing is likely to be revealed which may afford proof of— (i) (ii) that non-compliance; or the commission of that offence; and Act No. 26, 2007 SECURITIES TRANSFER TAX ADMINISTRATION ACT, 2007 (c) the inquiry referred to in the application is likely to reveal that information, document or thing. (6) An order under subsection (3) must, inter alia— (a) name the presiding officer; (b) refer to the alleged non-compliance or offence to be inquired into; (c) identify the person alleged to have failed to comply with the provisions of this Act or to have committed the offence; and (d) be reasonably specific as to the ambit of the inquiry. (7) Any presiding officer is a person appointed by the Minister of Finance in terms of section 83A(4) of the Income Tax Act. (8) For the purposes of an inquiry referred to in this section, a presiding officer designated under subsection (3) must— (a) determine the proceedings as he or she may think fit; (b) have the same powers— (i) to enforce the attendance of witnesses and to compel them to give evidence or to produce evidential material; and (ii) relating to contempt committed during the proceedings, as are vested in a President of the Special Court referred to in section 83 of the Income Tax Act, and for those purposes sections 84 and 85 of that Act apply with the changes required by the context; and (c) record the proceedings and evidence at an inquiry in such manner as he or she may think fit. (9) Any person may, by written notice issued by the presiding officer, be required to appear before him or her in order to be questioned under oath or solemn declaration for the purposes of an inquiry referred to in this section. (10) The notice referred to in subsection (9) must specify the— (a) place where that inquiry will be conducted; (b) date and time of that inquiry; and (c) reasons for that inquiry. (11) Any person whose affairs are investigated in the course of an inquiry referred to in this section is entitled to be present at the inquiry during the course of that investigation, unless on application by the person referred to in subsection (1) the presiding officer directs otherwise on the ground that the presence of the person and that person's representative, or either of them, would be prejudicial to the effective conduct of the inquiry. (12) Any person referred to in subsection (9) has the right to have a legal representative present during the time that that person appears before the presiding officer. (13) An inquiry referred to in this section must be private and confidential and the presiding officer must at any time, on application by the person whose affairs are investigated or any other person giving evidence or the person referred to in subsection (1), exclude any person whose attendance is not necessary for the inquiry from that inquiry or require that person to withdraw therefrom. (14) Any person may, at the discretion of the presiding officer, be compensated for his or her reasonable expenditure related to the attendance of an inquiry, by way of witness fees in accordance with the tariffs prescribed in terms of section 51bis of the Magistrates' Courts Act, 1944 (Act No. 32 of 1944). (15) Subject to subsection (16), the evidence given under oath or solemn declaration at an inquiry may be used by the Commissioner in any subsequent proceedings to which the person whose affairs are investigated is a party or to which a person who had dealings with that person is a party. (16) (a) A person may not refuse to answer any question during an inquiry on the grounds that it may incriminate that person. (b) Incriminating evidence so obtained is not admissible in any criminal proceedings against the person giving that evidence, other than in proceedings where that person stands trial on a charge relating to the administering or taking of an oath, the administering or making of an affirmation, the giving of false evidence, the making of a false statement in connection with that question, or a failure to answer fully and satisfactorily questions lawfully put to that person. Act No. 26, 2007 SECURITIES TRANSFER TAX ADMINISTRATION ACT, 2007 (17) An inquiry in terms of this section must proceed notwithstanding the fact that any civil or criminal proceedings are pending or contemplated against or involving any person referred to in subsection (6)(c) or any witness or potential witness or any person whose affairs may be investigated in the course of that inquiry. Search and seizure 17. (1) For the purposes of the administration of this Act, a judge may, on application by the Commissioner or any officer referred to in section 12(4), issue a warrant, authorising the officer named therein to, without prior notice and at any time— (a) (i) enter and search any premises; and (ii) search any person present on the premises, provided that that search is conducted by an officer of the same gender as the person being searched, for any information, document or thing that may afford evidence as to the non-compliance by any person with his or her obligations in terms of this Act; (b) seize any such information, document or thing; and (c) in carrying out any such search, open or cause to be opened or removed and opened anything in which that officer suspects any information, document or thing to be contained. (2) An application under subsection (1) must be supported by information supplied under oath or solemn declaration, establishing the facts on which the application is based. (3) A judge may issue the warrant referred to in subsection (1) if he or she is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe that— (a) (i) there has been non-compliance by any person with his or her obligations in terms of this Act; or (ii) an offence in terms of this Act has been committed by any person; (b) any information, document or thing is likely to be found which may afford evidence of— (i) such non-compliance; or (ii) the premises specified in the application are likely to contain that information, document or thing. the commission of that offence; and (c) (4) A warrant issued under subsection (1) must— (a) refer to the alleged non-compliance or offence in relation to which it is issued; (b) (c) identify the premises to be searched; identify the person alleged to have failed to comply with the provisions of this Act or to have committed the offence; and (d) be reasonably specific as to any information, document or thing to be searched for and seized. (5) Where the officer named in the warrant has reasonable grounds to believe that— (a) that information, document or thing is— (i) at any premises not identified in that warrant; and (ii) about to be removed or destroyed; and (b) a warrant cannot be obtained timeously to prevent that removal or destruction, that officer may search those premises and further exercise all the other powers granted by this section, as if those premises had been identified in a warrant. (6) Any officer who executes a warrant may seize, in addition to the information, document or thing referred to in the warrant, any other information, document or thing that that officer believes on reasonable grounds affords evidence of the non-compliance with the relevant obligations or the commission of an offence in terms of this Act. (7) The officer exercising any power under this section must on demand produce the relevant warrant (if any). (8) The Commissioner must take reasonable care to ensure that the information, document or thing is preserved and may retain it until the conclusion of any investigation into the non-compliance or offence in relation to which the information, document or thing was seized or until it is required to be used for the purposes of any legal proceedings under this Act, whichever event occurs last. Act No. 26, 2007 SECURITIES TRANSFER TAX ADMINISTRATION ACT, 2007 (9) (a) Any person may apply to the relevant division of the High Court for the return of any information, document or thing seized under this section. (b) The court hearing that application may, on good cause shown, make the order it deems fit. (10) The person to whose affairs any information, document or thing seized under this section relates may examine and make extracts therefrom and obtain one copy thereof at the expense of the State during normal business hours under such supervision as the Commissioner may determine. Objection and appeal procedures 18. (1) Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Commissioner in terms of this Act may object and appeal against that decision to the tax board or the tax court, as the case may be, established in terms of the Income Tax Act, in the manner and under the terms and within the period prescribed by that Act and the rules promulgated thereunder. (2) The provisions of the Income Tax Act, relating to— (a) objections and appeals, as provided for in Part III of Chapter III of that Act and the rules promulgated thereunder; and (b) settlement of disputes, as provided for in Part IIIA of Chapter III of that Act, apply, with the changes required by the context, in respect of any objection lodged or appeal noted or any dispute settled in terms of this Act. (3) Any decision of the Commissioner contemplated in subsection (1) must be treated as an assessment for the purposes of the application of the provisions of the Income Tax Act referred to in subsection (2). Advance tax rulings, assessments and representative taxpayers 19. (1) The provisions relating to advance tax rulings contained in Part IA of Chapter III of the Income Tax Act apply, with the changes required by the context, for the purposes of this Act. (2) Any procedures and guidelines issued by the Commissioner in terms of section 76S of the Income Tax Act for implementation and operation of the advance tax ruling system apply, with the changes required by the context, for the purposes of this Act. (3) The provisions of the Income Tax Act apply, with the changes required by the context, in respect of assessments and representative taxpayers. Offences and penalties