On 14 April 2021, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) Lead: Customs and Excise Product and Process released a letter, dated 01 April 2021, to Stakeholders, titled “Subject: Implementation of paragraph 2.3(c)(A)(i) of the External Policy - Administration of Trade Agreements”.
The letter reads:
Kindly note that the implementation of paragraph 2.3(c) (A)(i) of the External Policy - Administration of Trade Agreements (SC-RO-02) has been postponed from 01 April 2021 as initially announced to 01 June 2021. For the sake of clarity, the paragraph whose implementation is being postponed reads as follows:
“The exporter must present SC-RO-02-A02 at the following Customs Branch Office, for the application of: I) New certificates, the Customs Branch Office nearest to the exporter’s, manufacturer’s or producer’s area of business.”
The postponement is due to the practical and compliance issues raised by the trading community in relation to the implementation of this paragraph. The postponement is to allow both parties (SARS and traders) an opportunity to address concerns and challenges. It is envisioned that the postponement will also afford traders time to put measures in place to ensure compliance with the policy and the applicable rules.
Kindly note that only the implementation of paragraph 2.3(c) (A)(i) is postponed but the entire policy remains valid and should continue to be complied with. In other words, the postponement only relates to the processing of the export certificates of origin at the office nearest the trader’s business premises.
The letter is available on request.
The External Policy is available on request.
Story by: Riaan de Lange