On 10 July 2014 the first of the anticipated three new Customs and Excise Acts was published – the Customs Act No 30 of 2014. This follows the announcement by the South African Revenue Service (Sars) in January 2005 that it had commenced with the drafting of the new Customs and Excise Act after the conclusion of its research and policy development phase.
The Customs Act No.30 of 2014, covering 199 pages, 13 Chapters and 229 sections, was assented to on 09 July 2014. The Act serves to provide for the imposition, assessment, payment and recovery of customs duties on imported goods imported or exported from South Africa. In terms of section 229 of the Act, it will come into operation on a date still to be announced.
The publication of the Customs Control Act and the Customs and Excise Amendment Act are now awaited.