Agents must address increased customs threats

Clearing and freight forwarding agents need to collectively approach the South Africa Revenue Service (Sars) and border authorities, through industry bodies such as the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff), to address increased threats to their business. “The clearing and forwarding agents fully support legitimate trade in the country and play a valuable role as partners in risk mitigation but lately they are treated as the biggest risk by Sars and the border authorities,” says operations director at CargoCare Freight Services, Sue Wood She believes agents have “reliably” collected a very high percentage of the country’s import duties for many years but their role has been reduced since 2011. “The added pressure of falling revenue, a result of the global recession, has spawned some initiatives by Sars which have turned agents from reliable collection instruments into objects of suspicion – and therefore perceived as a risk,” Wood said. She adds that border authorities have chosen a “more random” approach in the management of South Arica’s border threats, resulting in clearing and forwarding agents taking the brunt of abuse when vehicles are stopped or impounded. A recent survey shows that this practice adds tens, if not hundreds of millions of rands in hidden import costs in the country, says Wood. INSERT & CAPTION Clearing and forwarding agents take the brunt of abuse when vehicles are stopped or impounded at borders. – Sue Wood