The Mombasa Monitoring Station-National Revenue Authority of South Sudan has clarified that only exporters and importers will be required to comply with the payment of $350 (Ksh46,000) levy being charged per unit to all goods destined to South Sudan and not clearing agents.
In its response to a petition by clearing agents, the Authority said that a clearing agent should not use own funds to pay the service charge (levy).
“The payment of this service is at all times to be paid by the importer or exporter of cargo into and out of South Sudan respectively,” the response by Mombasa Monitoring Station-National Revenue Authority of South Sudan filed in court read.
Clearing agents under Kenya International Freight and Warehousing Association (Kifwa) challenged imposition of the levy.
Read: Kenya shipping agents sue over new South Sudan cargo fees
Kifwa claimed that the Mombasa Monitoring Station-National Revenue Authority of South Sudan issued a directive that they should pay the money to a private company in Uganda, Invesco Uganda Limited, for a mandatory tracking system christened Electronic Cargo Tracking Note (ECTN).
However, Mombasa Monitoring Station-National Revenue Authority of South Sudan said that the ECTN certificate was a mandatory document to be obtained by importers/consignees and exporters of cargo into and from South Sudan.
“It is therefore obvious that those who must obtain the ECTN certificate are citizens or companies that are resident in South Sudan,” the response stated.
According to Mombasa Monitoring Station-National Revenue Authority of South Sudan, the service charge affects importers and exporters into and out of South Sudan and does not affect non-South Sudanese.
It further said that an importer and exporter using a clearing agent in any partner state must remit or pay to that agent the levy for the agent to pay on their behalf to obtain the ECTN certificate.
Source: The East African
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