Month: February 2017

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Invoice Declarations

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          Trade Agreements (to which Invoice Declarations relate) are a topic on their own. One agreement which may be specified on the commercial invoice (in lieu of using a Certificate as proof) for preferential duty purposes is the EU (European Union) Trade Agreement. This agreement was established between the EU and certain countries in the SADC (Southern African Development Community).

          The EU Trade Agreement was changed on 10 October 2016. It was previously known as the TDCA (Trade Development and Co-Operation Agreement). Today it known as the SADC-EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement). This agreement now includes not only South Africa but also Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland and Mozambique on the SADC side, as participants.   

          Invoice Declarations also apply to the agreement between the EFTA (European Free Trade Area) countries and South Africa. 

          The use of Invoice Declarations is allowed by exporters who are approved by the Customs authority in the export country; to insert an Invoice Declaration on the commercial invoice. This may be applied in lieu of the EUR1 (EU) or EFTA Certificates respectively. 

          Approved exporters are issued with an Authorisation Number by Customs. This number must be inserted into the Invoice Declaration when used. It applies to invoices where the total value of originating products in the consignment is EUR 6,000 or more. Consignments with originating products valued at less than EUR 6,000 do not require the Authorisation Number although the invoice declaration may still be used, i.e. by exporters who are not approved. 

          An invoice declaration may only be used on a commercial document such as an invoice, packing list or indent order. SARS does not accept invoice declarations to be used on blanket supplier’s declarations covering multiple shipments or on correspondence of any sort. 

Third Party Invoicing

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          The golden rule when third party invoicing is involved in international trade consignments is to “use the last invoice”.  Third party invoicing refers to invoices issued by a third party, i.e. a buying or selling agent.

          But why is it important and what are the implications of not taking the most recent invoice into account?

          It has to do with commissions.  Commissions according to the SARS policy on Valuations (SC-CR-A-03 dated 24 January 2014) is when an intermediary acts on behalf of either the supplier of the goods (selling commission) or the importer of the goods (buying commission). Third party invoicing may also include other costs, charges and expenses as a condition of the sale.

Commissions and other expenses influence the Customs value of goods imported and hence, the amount of duty and Vat payable to SARS.

          The last invoice issued in the trade transaction would (or should), in addition to the original price paid or payable, include all commissions, costs, charges and expenses on the invoice. This does not mean that such commissions must always be included when calculating the Customs value for duty purposes. Buying Commissions are often accepted by Customs (and hence deductible) provided these are “bona fide” buying commissions. 

          Occasionally when multiple invoices are involved, confusion may exist over which invoice should be used for Customs clearance purposes.

A personal piece of advice is to obtain copies of all invoices involved in the transaction. Analyse the value of each and explore the invoice with the highest value. If Commissions or other expenses are reflected on a separate invoice altogether, then these too must be considered for inclusion.