‘No restriction on applications’ ALAN PEAT THE EIGHT year long battle for off-airport degroupage licences for forwarding agents has come to a happy ending this year. It’s now an open door for any company that wants to offer this service, according to Wykus Louw of SA Revenue Service (Sars) customs at the Johannesburg International Airport (JIA), provided they can comply with the financial and structural demands laid down in the rules. It has been a long and tortuous passage for this licensing procedure. There was a running dog-fight between the private sector and customs for six years until the degrouping legislation was first published in Revenue Law Amendment Act 45 of December 2003, and inserted in the Customs and Excise Act 91 of 1964. This included the definition of a degrouper; provision in section 6 for the appointment; provision in section 44 for liability; and provision in section 64G for licensing. But it took more than another year until the rules stipulating how these sections would function were finalised. It was only this year that Sars announced it would consider applications for off-airport degroupage licences – and, although the door is open, not all the aspirant contenders have yet had their applications approved. But, Louw told FTW, this is not the result of any sort of stalling procedure by Sars. Eight applications have been received by customs, he added. And, while only three have been approved up to now, the other five pending are only delayed because the companies have yet to send their details to Pretoria, or have had the applications returned because they were lacking in documentary evidence of their suitability for approval. There will be no restriction on the number who can apply to operate off-airport degroupage facilities, Louw added. “Whoever applies and qualifies will be approved,” he said.
