The South African Revenue Service (SARS), through its customs division, destroyed an illicit consignment of 1 032 cartons of cigarettes, valued at R20 million on 7 October, which were seized at the Durban harbour recently.
Anton Fischer, communications and media officer at SARS, said: “It was established that the importer’s details were fictitious and when the custom officers inspected the consignment they found that the cigarettes did not comply with the legal requirements, such as inclusion of the SA diamond stamp on the packaging and that the health warnings were not in English.”
Fischer urged citizens to note the risks associated with illicit imports as it reduces the revenue the country collects, and revenue that is needed to provide basic services to all South Africans including the poor and vulnerable.
“Buying or associating with illicit imports destroys local industries which may lead to factory closures, job losses and further erosion of the tax base. Some of the goods present a public health hazard, putting a strain on the healthcare system and association with such goods also contributes to higher levels of criminality, including bribery and corruption, as well as drawing the country into various syndicates of organised crime such as drug-smuggling, gun-running and human trafficking,” he concluded.
