Patience please with Sars accreditation

The South African Revenue
Service (Sars) has called
on industry to embrace its
accredited trader programme
(ATP) which it says will
increase efficiency of customs
processes and offer improved
trade facilitation in the long
run.
The programme has seen
more than 500 companies
audited by Sars to determine
their compliance with the
programme, yet not one
company has officially been
awarded full status – resulting
in some pessimism among
participants.
“The process is seen by
some as a ploy by Sars to get
information on companies
that have to fill in very detailed
questionnaires and provide
details about their businesses,
but they are still not on the
programme after the lengthy
process,” said a source. “At
the same time, while it’s all
voluntary, if and when Sars
finds something incorrect the
companies are scheduled and
so there is a wariness at present
about participating in this.”
But Sars spokesman Sandile
Memela told FTW that
industry would benefit in the
long run and that the process
was ongoing.
“Some companies have had
to perform significant work in
association with Sars to realise
the criteria for compliance and
competency,” he said. “Sars
wishes to ensure confidence
in the levels of assurance and
ongoing maintenance of the
standards before giving formal
status.”
He said the ATP set
exceptionally high standards of
customs compliance.
“The system aims to
increase the efficiency of
clients’ customs processes
through placing reliance on
the client’s own systems and
audit-based controls. This
enables a switch away from
expensive and restrictive
transactional controls that
traditionally take place at the
border,” he explained. “In turn,
this enables Sars to focus on
trade facilitation on the one
hand, and pay greater attention
to effective use of scarce
resources to manage high
risk consignments and illicit
trade. The ATP provides the
standard for proven compliance
that is also critical to underpin
reciprocal recognition of the
accredited status with our
leading trade partners.”
In this regard Sars was
supporting the development
of an AT Mutual Recognition
Programme within the SA
Customs Union region,
whereby South African
exporters with accredited
status would gain facilitation
benefits on their imports to the
BLNS countries, and vice-versa.
“Sars also aims to build
a full Authorised Economic
Operator (AEO) programme
in alignment with the World
Customs Organisation’s SAFE
Framework of Standards,
which makes provision for
safety and security provisions
to be added to the AT
requirement,” he said. “The
programme also extends
to Customs supply chain
operators. This is necessary to
enable South African exporters
with AT/AEO status to benefit
from mutual recognition with
“major trading partners”.”
He said while official status
had not been awarded to any
one company as yet, there were
many that were benefiting from
the programme.
“Working more closely
with customs results in
fewer errors and fewer
customs interventions due
to a lower risk. Clients
in the programme have
realised the benefits of closer
relationships with customs
and greater predictability of
service,” he said.
An extended set of
legislated benefits is in the
pipeline for accredited clients
in the new customs control
act and accompanying rules.
“In anticipation of
the roll-out of the new
Customs Control Act,
to be accompanied by
systems and process
enhancements, Sars has
conducted comprehensive
compliance audits which
will be used when conferring
accredited client status for
traders who have a proven
record of compliance, and
are capable of complying
with the accredited client
requirements of the new act.”