Clarity on customs Bills expected at Saaff congress

The new Customs Acts will come under the spotlight at the South African, Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) congress – to be held at the Durban International Convention Centre, from October 14 to 16 – with South African Revenue Service (Sars) Commissioner, Tom Moyane, featuring as the keynote speaker. “The South African Revenue Service (Sars) is keen to strengthen stakeholder relationships with the industry and will use the Saaff 2015 Congress as the platform from which to springboard this, as well as address some of the concerns and questions the industry has around this,” said Saaff CEO, Dave Logan. He told FTW that Saaff as an organisation had evolved over the years, especially in its representation of the industry. “We no longer simply represent the customs brokers but have become far more inclusive with our strategy, focused on adding value to the broader industry through service, information and advocacy,” he said, adding that Sars recognised this and was working with the industry through the association. He noted that several senior Sars representatives would be attending the conference and that the revenue service would have a dedicated help desk set up at the event to address any questions or issues that industry might have. “There will also be special Sars feedback sessions focusing on issues such as VAT, compliance, tax incentives as well the legal and policy issues around the new Customs Acts,” he said. He pointed out that the freight industry faced many challenges with numerous changes on the cards, in a more demanding local economic and global trading environment. “We have designed the congress programme around helping our members – and the industry at large – to better manage these changes.” A Saaff Golf Challenge at the Durban Country Club and a site visit to the Durban port are part of the comprehensive programme. Further details are available on the Saaff website. INSERT & CAPTION Sars will have a dedicated help desk set up at the event to address any questions or issues that industry may have. – Dave Logan