Get cracking on border agency, says home affairs
Opposition parties say if Border Management Authority Bill were passed in its present form, it would usurp customs and excise function of South African Revenue Service
The Department of Home Affairs was pushing for the Border Management Authority Bill to be passed through Parliament, Home Affairs Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize said just before her budget vote on Wednesday. Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba was also keen to see the bill passed, she said. The ANC, which holds the majority of seats in Parliament, failed to get the bill passed in the National Assembly after the plenary could not secure a quorum to put the bill to vote. All opposition parties voiced their apprehension that the bill, if it were passed in its present form, would usurp the customs and excise function of the South African Revenue Service (SARS). This crucial function has been a revenue generator for the fiscus, but could be unravelled if it were to be taken over by the proposed Border Management Agency, the establishment of which will be triggered by the adoption of the bill. Speaking to reporters ahead of her budget vote, Mkhize said the bill had gone through "endless consultation...
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