With the country-wide roadshows on the new Customs Act in full swing, the SA Revenue Service has sent a strong message of reassurance to industry.
“Relax, nothing is going to happen until we tell you we are ready to move,” says Beyers Theron, executive – Customs & Excise Centre of Excellence.
As reported in FTW this week, Sars has announced that after extensive high-level discussions on how best to implement the new Customs Acts gazetted in July 2014, it has reconsidered its initial approach of introducing Registration, Licensing and Accreditation (RLA) as a first step and will instead be focusing on Reporting of Conveyancing and Goods (RCG). This builds on the platform created by the new Manifest Processing System (MPR) which was introduced in June last year.
“If we implement RCG it will be under the 1964 Act but aligned in many ways to the controls prescribed in the new legislation.
“The recent implementation of the MPR has laid the foundation and has provided for some of the electronic cargo reports required in the new Customs Control Act. There’s already been great improvement at the land border posts and associated business benefits from this implementation.”
According to Theron, one of the constant bugbears of trade is repetitive stops, while for Customs it is the submission of duplicate clearances. “The fact that we are applying risk holistically will go a long way in addressing this.
“Our risk engine and risk systems must be working well before we go live. We have prioritised that and there are significant enhancements of risk machinery on the go right now which have to be ready before RCG goes live.”
Once the roadshows - which will touch every part of the country, regardless of the number of interested parties - are over, Sars will start talking to the technical groups in preparation for RCG.
