Business will be better at the South African Revenue Service (Sars) with the implementation of an e-release system in July and an electronic cargo reporting system in August. This all forms part of a range of measures being implemented to streamline the importation of goods to help boost trade and reduce the administrative burden on importers, Oupa Magashula, Acting Sars Commissioner told delegates at the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) annual conference in Johannesburg last week. “We are planning to make business as easy, simple and cost-free as we can for those who are compliant. Voluntary compliance will in turn enable us to focus important government resources at mitigating high risks and making sure the policies to support the economy and job creation are appropriately implemented,” said Magashula. Much effort is being channelled into the development of a sophisticated risk engine that will use similar technology to that introduced for the income tax process. “It will identify high-risk cases for investigation allowing Customs officers to target high-risk, non-compliant traders.” The plan was welcomed by the freight forwarding industry and Saaff Chairman Basil Pietersen said it was encouraging to see that Sars had not only identified what needed to be done, but also had a plan to go forward with it.
