The South African Revenue Service (Sars) is set to implement several new and exciting projects this year which will have a long-term positive impact on the industry.According to Clifford Evans, customs liaison manager at Berry & Donaldson, while many of these will only consist of the first phase of implementation, it is crucial that they come on board sooner rather than later.“Not only will these projects related to customs and excise facilitate trade, but they will also align South Africa with international trends,” he told Freight News. “The current economic environment in South Africa does not allow us to fall behind international trading partners who are developing and modernising quicker than us.”One of the biggest projects expected this year, and set to be rolled out by customs no later than the middle of the year, is the first phase of a National Single Window. This will enable traders to submit all cross-border documents through a single point of entry to the government and enable other border agencies to view, stop and detain goods for agricultural, health and safety concerns at one single point.“This is a very exciting and extremely important new development as it means that all other government a g enc ie s (O G A s) will be integrated into the EDI system,” explains Evans.Sars has been on a modernisation journey, scaling up digital transformation to improve the facilitation of trade, revenue collection and compliance by import and export traders across South Africa's borders for years. It has not always been an easy process and delays have been common. The government has, however, throughout the process continued to work closely with the private sector.According to Evans, the implementation of a national single window will be a game changer for South Africa. “It will immediately improve efficiency and turnaround times, which in turn will address delays and cost.”He says a second project to watch out for, which is already well under way, is the implementation of Smart Borders, which includes scanners and automated number plate recognition systems at various borders in the country. “This will effectively eliminate the need to physically inspect goods at the land borders, again improving efficiency by reducing unnecessary delays.”Another win for the industry, says Evans, is that customs has agreed to publish tariff determinations once again, as was done many years ago. “Tariff classification disputes arising from front-line stops are being investigated and a possible solution is already in progress.”Also on the cards in 2023 is the Border Management Authority, which will come into full effect by April. With the industry not yet sure how this will transpire in practice, and the jury still out on whether it will have a positive impact on trade or not, the BMA will operate with Sars, the South African Police Service, and the South African National Defence Force.According to Evans, the ongoing commitment to improving the customs landscape in South Africa bodes well for the clearing and forwarding sector, which has several challenges to deal with on a daily basis. “Port congestion, an almost non-existent rail system, political unrest, unemployment, inflation and many other issues impact trade daily. Modernising our customs processes and bringing us on par with international systems will have a positive impact, allowing us to grow imports and exports as a country.”
