Cape Town – Amendment legislation intended to curb smuggling has been submitted to Parliament, the SA Revenue Service (Sars) said on Thursday.

“One of the major aims of the [two] bills is to create a balance between customs control and trade facilitation,” Sars said in statement.

It said the current Customs and Excise Act, which dates back to 1964, allowed container operators to move goods from a port of entry, such as Durban, to an inland container terminal, such as City Deep in Johannesburg, without submitting a customs clearance declaration.

“This current position does not provide Sars with adequate information to determine any possible safety, security, fiscal, and economic risks in relation to these goods before they are transported inland,” Sars said.

“No value is declared on the manifest and only a general description of the goods is provided.”

It said that if the new bills were approved, container operators would have to obtain clearance at the first port of entry, before goods were moved inland.

“In addition, the origin of the goods, as well as a clear description of the goods as per the Harmonised Commodity and Coding System [HS Code] will have to be declared.

“The HS Code will indicate whether the goods pose a fiscal or economic risk, or a safety and security risk to society.”

– SAPA