Sars outlines latest modernisation initiatives

SA Revenue Service Customs

& Excise is set to implement

several new modernisation

initiatives in the near future

starting with a new manifest

processing (MPR) system and

the automation of provisional

payments (PPs).

“These are expected to yield

significant benefits to both

trade and Customs as both

bring significant operational

improvements in their

respective areas of application,”

chief officer

Customs and

Excise, Jed

Michaletos, told

FTW.

“MPR enables

the paperless

reporting of

cargo to customs

and introduces

goods

accounting for

fiscal assurance

purposes by

comparing

goods and cargo

declarations.

It also brings further

improvements to land border

processes (eg, the scanning

of barcoded manifests to

significantly reduce gate dwelltime

for commercial trucks)

and enables enforcement

against errant cargo reporters

who still fail to meet their

electronic cargo reporting

responsibilities.”

Its data, functionality and

reports can also be used to

enhance supply chain security

and visibilityrelated

activities

undertaken

by, for

example,

the Port

Command

Centre

situated in

Durban,

according to

Michaletos.

In terms

of provisional

payments,

the administration of a

PP lodged, for example, to

secure the duty and taxes

pertaining to the temporary

importation of goods,

and the goods declaration

submitted in respect of

those goods, are currently

separately administered

in separate operational

processes. “This results in a

number of difficulties being

experienced. For example,

failure to liquidate the PP

timeously upon exportation of

the goods,” said Michaletos.

“The PP initiative formalises

and standardises the

administration of provisional

payments into the formal and

automated Sars

goods declaration

process workflow.

This ensures that

PPs are correctly

matched and applied

to the particular

customs clearance

to which they

pertain and that

they are correctly

utilised. This process

also ensures that

calculations relating

to PP amounts are

performed uniformly

and correctly.”

In the medium

to long term the

most pertinent

development in

terms of both

modernisation and

capacity building

would be the

development of the

necessary systems, policies

and processes in support

of the implementation of

the new customs and excise

legislative framework – ie,

The Customs Control Act,

2014; the Customs Duty

Act, 2014, and the Customs

and Excise Amendment

Act, 2014, said Michaletos.

“As you can imagine,

this is a large and

complex exercise and the

programme tasked with

its delivery – the New

Customs Act Programme

(NCAP) – is thus receiving

priority.

“While these are specific

examples of current and

future modernisation

efforts, continued and

further investment will be

made in improving our risk

management capability and

driving quality outcomes

through automated processes

on a prioritised basis,

especially where it relates

to the core Sars mandate of

revenue collection.”

INSERT & CAPTION

MPR enables the

paperless reporting

of cargo to customs

and introduces goods

accounting for fiscal

assurance purposes.

– Jed Michaletos