Customs experts commenting
on the country’s impending
new legislation say the process
has come to a near standstill
with no word as to when the
next set of rules will be made
available or when feedback
will be received on the last
comments made.
Comments on the rules
and regulations guiding the
new customs control bill were
submitted earlier this year
followed by the publication of
the first set of rules guiding the
customs duty bill.
“Our comments were
submitted to Sars in mid-
June but we have not had any
feedback as to when there
will be a workshop around
the comments, what changes
Sars has accepted, and what
they have denied, as was the
case when commenting on
the control bill,” said a source.
“The majority of rules and
regulations guiding this bill
have yet to be published but
the process has come to a near
standstill.”
“Besides the duty bill
there are still the rules and
regulations guiding the
customs and excise amendment
bill to be published as well.
There have also been so many
amendments and changes to
these rules that will affect trade
to such an extent that it is not
feasible to just implement the
rules and regulations once the
commentary is completed.
Industry should be given
the entire set of rules and
regulations in its final form to
read along with the acts before
implementation.”
Industry commentators are
now saying the new laws, for
which the drafting started nine
years ago and which Sars was
adamant would be in full swing
no later than 2015, would not
see the light of day by the end of
the year.
“In fact claims of seeing the
acts in practice by early 2016
are probably far-fetched as well.
It is far more reasonable to
push the timeline towards the
end of next year or even 2017,”
said the source.
INSERT
Industry should be
given the entire
set of rules and
regulations in its final
form to read along
with the acts before
implementation.
