Little forthcoming on AEO pilot

There seems to be what might be a bit of pre-election paralysis surrounding the plans to pilot the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) concept in South Africa. SA Revenue Service (Sars) commissioner Pravin Gordhan told the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) conference in June that at least one country had shown interest in participating in a pilot project. “We have selected an industry and identified a firm that operates in both countries,” he added. “We’ve also got a broad policy framework that we need to look at and we can do some of the preparatory work later this year. It’s a concept that needs to be approached with boldness and with caution.” But all that FTW has been able to raise from Sars on the AEO concept is the sound of silence. Despite four voice-mail messages left with a name we believe now heads up Sars’ information technology modernisation programme, we have received no return call. And the only two other Sars names we have raised telephonically knew nothing about the subject. The forwarding industry is equally unaware of any steps forward in AEO. Charles Speed-Andrews of Safcor Panalpina, who also handles customs matters for the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff), could not report on any progress and stressed that the AEO was a long-term phase-in concept, and could take as long as 5-10 years to really get rolling globally.