East Coast Radio - Catch Up Consumer Hacks with Wendy Knowler

"Duty-free" doesn't mean charge-free

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A listener imported a car radio and got a R412 bill from the clearing agent. Car radios are duty-free, he says, so what's this for?

Here's the thing. Duty-free refers to one line in the SARS tariff book. Car radios also sit in a category which attracts a 9% ad valorem excise duty, the luxury tax. Then VAT of 15% is charged on the value of the goods plus 10%, plus any duty. And the agent's own clearance fee goes on top of that.

So ask clearing agents for the customs release notification. It shows the tariff heading and exactly what SARS charged, and the agent should list its own fees separately.
14 Oct English South Africa Education · Self-Improvement

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