Importers can expect Customs to get tougher as government counters what it sees as the “serious threat” of tax evasion, finance minister Pravin Gordhan said. “Recently, customs officers with the support of the police impounded nearly 3 000 illegally imported second-hand vehicles, two significant tobacco smuggling rings have been snuffed out and a tobacco manufacturer has been shut down in the last month. “We are also, in conjunction with the tobacco industry, investigating a new method of marking and authenticating legal cigarettes with a counterfeit-proof digital system to replace the current ‘diamond mark’. “The sector most visibly affected by the illicit economy in recent years has been the clothing and textile industry, resulting in significant loss of jobs in local manufacturing plants. “In the coming months a multidisciplinary task team comprising representatives of the manufacturing, importing and retail industries and a range of public sector stakeholders, will begin interventions across the entire supply chain to clamp down on illicit clothing and textiles imports,” he said. Over 200 taxpayers have been convicted of fraud and tax evasion over the past six months thanks to joint operations by the police, the prosecuting authority, the Financial Intelligence Centre and Sars.
