Customs agents have given the South African Revenue Service (Sars) the thumbs up for addressing concerns around tariff determinations (TDN) which were taking an extraordinarily long time to process. FTW last year reported that TDNs were taking anything from six months to a year due to a massive backlog at Sars. “The general industry impression is that the situation has improved a lot,” an industry source told FTW. “We have no TDNs outstanding at our company any more.” According to the customs and excise act, TDNs must be considered within 90 working days. Another agent said complaints were down to a minimum after last year’s frustration. Industry has also welcomed a decision by Sars that tariff determinations will be published in the future. While it will take some time before this is implemented, most customs experts say it is a move in the right direction. “The challenge facing Sars and industry lies in the inconsistent application of tariff classification policy, with some traders enjoying unfair advantages due to Sars hiding behind “confidentiality”,” said a source. “This problem, however, should improve with the transparent publication of the tariff determinations.”
