TRADERS WANT CUSTOMS FREE BORDERS

MBABANE – The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade together with the private sector, wants entrepreneurs to be able to move goods across borders without having to worry about customs.

This was mentioned by the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade, Siboniso Nkambule, who was represented by his Under Secretary, Cebile Nhlabatsi. The Kingdom of Eswatini has joined other Southern African Customs Union (SACU) member States in launching the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) in a sensitisation meeting held in Johannesburg, South Africa (SA), yesterday. This was during the launch of the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme for SACU member States in Johannesburg.

Administrations

AEO is a programme through which authorised economic traders are assessed and approved by customs administrations as complying with the supply chain security standards developed by the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and awarded certain trade facilitation benefits. Nhlabatsi said the programme, which falls under the National Trade Facilitation Programme, is expected to yield great rewards for entrepreneurs, especially in the free movement of goods across borders. Nhlabatsi said that the government was in full support of the programme, which is implemented by the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS).

The Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS) Commissioner General, Brightwell Nkambule, said the AEO programme was envisaged to increase tax compliance and revenue collection as only tax-compliant entrepreneurs are expected to register and reap the benefits of AEO. Nkambule said the programme would be run by the business associations in Business Eswatini (BE), the Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC), and Eswatini Commercial Amadoda. “ERS will only provide technical assistance where necessary.” Furthermore, Nkambule said once a sizeable number of entrepreneurs joined the programme, that would also ease the congestion on countries borders, especially the Ngwenya/Oshoek border.

Collection

Nkambule said ERS was shifting from only focusing on revenue collection, to also focusing on creating and maintaining partnerships with businesses by educating them, so that they could comply voluntarily with tax laws. The private sector AEO champions were BE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) E. Nathi Dlamini and FESBC’s Mavela Sigwane. Nhlabatsi said the aim was to support and educate the private sector about what the programme could do for entrepreneurs. Committed to working together and trusting one another, some entrepreneurs have indicated interest in having businesses in the other SACU member States and an interest in joining the programme.

Entrepreneurs attending the SACU AEO Sensitisation meeting also said they would definitely join the programme as it had the potential to speed up trade in the region, increase profits, and reduce unnecessary costs. Eswatini entrepreneurs then proposed that SACU establish its Business Community to increase networking among SACU’s businesses and promote value chains.

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