‘Honest businessmen do not pay a high price’

The article in the recent edition of FTW titled “Customs stops burn big holes in importers’ pockets” implies that all importers of goods are being unfairly targeted by Sars Customs. However, nothing could be further from the truth. It is acknowledged that Sars Customs faces an extremely difficult balancing act between exacting the correct amount of duties and taxes due to the fiscus on imported goods while at the same time facilitating fair and legal trade. The fact is that large quantities of imports are grossly undervalued. The result is that the fiscus is being defrauded of significant amounts of duty and tax revenue. Additional consequences are a severely negative impact on the domestic industrial manufacturing sectors, with the attendant loss of employment, which this economy can ill afford, and worst of all de-industrialisation of the South African economy. The level of illegal import activity has compelled Sars Customs to be increasingly vigilant and alert and to scientifically address the problem. Honest businessmen who do comply with Sars procedures and processes do not pay a high price but are accommodated and “facilitated” under Sars’ accreditation programme. At the same time the less-thanhonest importer is persuaded to comply. Brian Brink, Textile Federation.