Legal and Policy - 5 May 2022

• 3 May 2022 – RFI0001/2022: Document Conversion from PDF to HTML

Questions and answers

• 29 April 2022 – Customs officers of the South African Revenue Service (SARS), in collaboration with other government departments, intercepted the luggage of a female South African passenger at OR Tambo International Airport which contained twelve (12) pieces of rhino horn weighing 30.7 kilograms.

The interception of the rhino horn came after the SARS Customs and other government officials received a tip-off regarding a passenger travelling to Dubai.

The Customs team reacted swiftly and accompanied the female passenger to the Customs area for further Customs inspection. The two luggage bags and a box were inspected by a baggage scanner that identified irregular images suspected to be rhino horn.

This led to a physical inspection of the luggage and box in which twelve (12) pieces of rhino horn, weighing 30.7kg were found. The passenger together with the rhino horn were handed to the South African Police Service after which a criminal case was opened for further investigation.

See the full media statement here.

• 29 April 2022 – RFP02/2021: Appointment of a Chairperson for the SARS National Bargaining Forum
• 29 April 2022 – The South African Revenue Service (SARS) today releases trade statistics for March 2022 recording a preliminary trade balance surplus of R45.86 billion. These statistics include trade data with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho and Namibia (BELN). The year-to-date (01 January to 31 March 2022) preliminary trade balance surplus of R62.10 billion is a deterioration from the R99.06 billion trade balance surplus for the comparable period in 2021. Exports increased by 9.8% year-on-year whilst imports increased by 21.3% over the same period.

The R45.86 billion preliminary trade balance surplus for March 2022 is attributable to exports of R185.82 billion and imports of R139.96 billion. Exports increased by R43.88 billion (30.9%) between February and March 2022 and imports increased by R9.51 billion (7.3%) over the same period.

See the full media statement here.

Visit the Trade Statistics webpage.

• 29 April 2022 – RFP39/2021: Appointment of a Panel for Design and Engineering Consultants

Briefings session presentation and Questions and answers.

• 29 April 2022 – Customs & Excise Act, 1964: Publication details for tariff amendment notices R2052 and R2053, as published in Government Gazette 46293 on 29 April 2022, are now available
• 28 April 2022 – Customs & Excise Act, 1964: The tariff amendment notices, scheduled for publication in the Government Gazette, relate to the amendments to –

Part 1D of Schedule No. 6, by the insertion of Note 10 in order to align with refund provisions for malt beer and other fermented beverages (with effect from 29 April 2022); and

Part 1 of Schedule No. 1, by the creation of separate 8-digit tariff subheadings under tariff heading 1102.20 for super fine maize meal (with retrospective effect from 1 April 2022).

Publication details will be made available later

• 28 April 2022 – Customs & Excise Act, 1964: Draft Amendment to Forms –

Substitution of forms –

• DA 185.4B1 – Licensing Client Type 4B1 – Special Manufacturing Warehouse; and
• DA 260 – Traditional African Beer and Alcohol Powder Products (SVM) – Special Manufacturing Warehouse

Due date for public comment: 13 May 2022

• 28 April 2022 – The BRS V21.1 has been updated with a new source code for Long Service Cash Awards and emended validation rules for source codes 3231, 3232, 3234, 7004 and the descriptions for source codes 3601, 3605, 3835, 4587, 7002.

NATIONAL TREASURY:

• Provisional Financing Figures as at 30 April 2022 – 4 May 2022
• Statement of the National Revenue, Expenditure and Borrowing as at 31 March 2022 – 30 April 2022
• Keynote Address by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana at BMF Gala Dinner 26 April 2022 – 26 April 2022

OECD:

• Register: Public consultation meeting on the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework and Amendments to the CRS - 23 May 2022
• Tax transparency progressing well in Latin America but further improvements needed - 3 May 2022
• Tax challenges arising from digitalisation: Public comments received on the extractives exclusion under Pillar One Amount A - 3 May 2022
• Public comments received on the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework and Amendments to the Common Reporting Standard - 2 May 2022

SARB:

• Exchange Control Circular:
• Exchange Control Circular No. 16/2022 – Appointment of Shop2Shop Money Transfer (Pty) Limited as an Authorised Dealer in foreign exchange with limited authority