IT’S STILL in its infancy in South Africa, but customs accreditation is crucial for every member of the freight industry. FTW takes a closer look at what it entails and speaks to some of the industry players who are already reaping the benefits. WHILE IMPORTERS have been major beneficiaries of accreditation, with speedy clearance of goods the win, exporters are well advised to ensure compliance in preparation for their applications to SARS, says Deloitte & Touche’s Andre Erasmus. “Electronic clearance is currently being extended to exports and we feel that the benefits of this, in particular with respect to exports through border posts, will become evident.” Correct documentation is the issue here and significant penalties and forfeiture can be levied by SARS in instances where exporters are non-compliant. “We have found recently in industry that SARS is becoming extremely strict with respect to exporters on areas of non-compliance,” says Erasmus. “In some instances exporters have been penalised between R2 000 and R20 000 per bill of entry for misdeclarations with respect to the export value and tariff heading.” It is therefore essential that exporters who wish to become accredited with SARS ensure that they are sufficiently compliant in terms of the Act, says Erasmus.
