Have you ever wondered why, at this time of the year, you receive a plethora of emails from investment businesses recommending that you top up your retirement annuity (RA)? The short answer is that the 2014/15 tax year closes on 28 February and you’re able to reap significant tax advantages by making an additional RA contribution before the tax year-end. Generally speaking, an additional investment into an RA is beneficial, provided that you have not yet reached your maximum tax deductible retirement annuity contribution for the year and provided that all money returned from SARS in future is reinvested into your RA portfolio.