SAD makes relatively smooth entry

Follow-up roadshow planned ALAN PEAT MORE THAN a month since its launch, the SA Revenue Service (Sars) customs is relatively content with the progress of the new single administrative document (SAD 500) range of cross-border transport forms. The SAD 500 replaced the CCA1 form, basically in trade within the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) – which comprises SA and the BLNS countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland. With movement of goods within the union there is no customs duty implication – and the SAD 500 (and its predecessor CCA1) are designed to show what’s moving where in Sacu. It basically supplies customs (and its tax-gathering parent Sars) with statistical information and record of goods moved. According to Sars executive Theo Ruiters, who ran the pre-SAD 500 roadshow on its nationwide tour to prepare the marketplace, “there have been no major show-stoppers” since the introduction on October 1. “We’ve had a few small issues with clients adjusting themselves to the SAD,” he told FTW. But Sars has taken a lenient viewpoint to any errors in the compilation of the new documents by operators in the trade and transport sectors. “We have asked our offices to provide customer services as clients get used to the new documents,” Ruiters said. The tax authority has also surveyed members of its client base for feedback on their progress with the SAD – and the response has been relatively positive, he added. Customs has also met with the electronic data interchange (EDI) working group, Ruiters told FTW. There is also to be a face-to-face attempt to gain further feedback from the private sector users. Sars is currently busy planning “another smaller roadshow to follow up on stakeholders’ response,” said Ruiters.