The SA Revenue Service (SARS) has spent R136 million on 18 scanners that can verify the contents of shipping containers without having to open them.
These scanners are expected to speed up the clearance of containers through SA's congested ports.
The first of the scanners, costing R43 million, has already been put into operation at Durban's container terminal.
SARS head of customs Leonard Radebe says the scanner will improve turnaround times as containers will no longer need to be individually opened and physically searched.
He says the other 17 devices, which vary in size and cost, will be introduced at various other points of entry over the next three years at a budgeted cost of R136 million. Radebe says the devices include some portable machines.
Post-pilot
The acquisition follows a 2004 pilot project to help combat smuggling as well as tax evasion.
SARS is spending about R1.3 billion on upgrading its ICT infrastructure and plans to save hundreds of millions of rand over the coming few years. It hopes to earn the exchequer additional income by making tax fraud more difficult.
Finance minister Trevor Manuel yesterday announced SARS had yet again outdone itself in tax collection over the 2007 tax year, ended 29 February. He revealed the organisation had collected R15 billion more than the target he set it.
He said customs revenue made up 4.7% of the R571.8 billion collected. By contrast, income tax accounted for 29.6%, corporate income tax 25%, value-added tax 26.2 % and the fuel levy 4.1%.
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