TaxAtomy (“we”, “us”) processes personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and other applicable South African law. This policy describes what we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and your rights.
1. Responsible party
TaxAtomy is the responsible party for personal information processed through this website and related client services.
TaxAtomy
Company Reg. No. 2026/085023/07
TaxAtomy operates remotely. For postal correspondence, please contact us at info@taxatomy.com or +27 71 571 3996 to arrange delivery.
Email: info@taxatomy.com
Information Officer
Savanna McAllister
Email: savanna@taxatomy.com
Registered with the Information Regulator: pending
2. Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may process:
- Enquiry data — name, email address, telephone number, entity type, and the content of your message when you use the contact form or email us.
- Client onboarding data — identity and contact details, entity details (individual, company, trust), and documents required for FICA verification and tax return preparation, once you engage our services.
- Technical and usage data — standard server logs (IP address, browser type, date/time of request) necessary to operate and secure the website, and data collected by the Meta (Facebook) Pixel for advertising measurement — see "Cookies and tracking" below.
3. Purpose of processing
We process personal information only for the following purposes:
- To respond to enquiries and provide information about our tax compliance services.
- To onboard clients, verify FICA where required, prepare and review tax returns, and maintain related records.
- To meet legal and regulatory obligations, including SARS requirements and record-keeping under applicable tax and FICA legislation.
- To secure our systems and prevent abuse of the website or platform.
We do not use enquiry form data for marketing without your separate, informed consent.
4. Legal basis
Processing is based on one or more of: your consent (for example, submitting an enquiry); performance of a contract or steps prior to entering a contract; compliance with a legal obligation; or our legitimate interests in operating a professional tax practice in a secure and orderly manner, balanced against your rights.
5. Sharing and operators
We do not sell personal information. We may share information with:
- Registered tax practitioners and authorised staff who prepare or review your matter.
- Service operators who process data on our instructions (for example, secure hosting or form delivery). Operators are required to protect the information and use it only for the instructed purpose.
- Regulators and authorities where required by law, including SARS, when submitting returns or responding to lawful requests.
For full bookkeeping and advanced accounting, we may refer you to our recommended partner, NeXabooks. Their processing is governed by their own privacy terms if you engage them directly.
6. Cross-border transfer
Our website hosting is located in South Africa. However, some of the services we use process data outside South Africa:
- Email delivery — enquiries submitted through this website are delivered via Microsoft 365, which may process the message data on servers outside South Africa.
- Advertising measurement — the Meta (Facebook) Pixel processes website-usage data outside South Africa, including in the United States (see "Cookies and tracking" below).
Where personal information is transferred outside South Africa, we rely on the recipient being bound by data-protection measures that provide an adequate level of protection, consistent with POPIA section 72.
7. Retention
Enquiry records are retained only as long as needed to complete the response and for a limited period thereafter for continuity and security (typically up to 24 months, unless a longer period is required for an ongoing matter).
Client tax and FICA records are retained for the periods required by tax and FICA legislation and professional practice standards, then securely destroyed or anonymised.
8. Security
We apply reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, unauthorised access, and unlawful processing. Access to client materials is limited to authorised personnel. No method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free; we work to reduce residual risk.
9. Your rights under POPIA
Subject to the Act, you may request to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct or update inaccurate information.
- Object to certain processing, or request deletion where the law allows.
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent (this does not affect prior lawful processing).
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa).
To exercise these rights, email info@taxatomy.com with sufficient detail to identify you and your request. We may need to verify your identity before acting.
Information Regulator: inforegulator.org.za
10. Cookies and tracking
This website uses the Meta Pixel, a tracking tool provided by Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook). The Pixel sets cookies and collects information such as your IP address, browser and device details, the pages you view on this site, and actions you take (for example, submitting the enquiry form or clicking a contact link). This information is shared with Meta and used to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and, where applicable, to show relevant ads on Meta's platforms.
Because Meta processes this data on servers outside South Africa (including in the United States), using the Pixel involves a cross-border transfer of personal information. Meta acts as the responsible party for its own processing of Pixel data; please refer to Meta's own privacy and cookie policies for details of how it handles that information.
You can limit or prevent this tracking by using your browser's cookie controls or privacy settings, an ad- or tracker-blocking extension, or your ad-preference settings within your Facebook/Meta account. Preventing Pixel cookies does not affect your ability to use this website or to contact us.
11. Children
Our services are directed at adults and legal entities. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 for marketing or general website use.
12. Changes
We may update this policy when our practices or the law change. The effective date at the top of this page will be revised. Material changes will be reflected on this page.
13. Contact
Questions about this policy or our processing: info@taxatomy.com