SA transport and other SA firms with customers in Swaziland whose annual turnover from sales or contracts is more than R500 000 per annum are obliged to pay 14% VAT to the Swaziland Revenue Authority (SRA) beginning April 1. “If a company is not registered with the SRA it may not charge VAT to customers, but the company is still obligated to pay VAT to the SRA (ie, – out of your own pocket),” SRA director of communications Vusi Dlamini told FTW. If a company has a contract in place with a Swazi customer SRA recommends a contract renegotiation to accommodate a VAT charge, which the service or goods provider is obliged to pay the SRA even though a contract may have been enacted prior to April 1. SRA officials told FTW that of the 2500 companies that must by law register with the SRA for VAT, as of Thursday only 1200 had done so.
