SARS - Destroying small business.

If you are thinking of starting a small business that imports, don't!!!SARS have implemented a new rule that reads as follows:<br> <br> \VAT on imports can only be claims during or after the tax period during which the VAT is actually paid to SARS. It means that when a vendor using the services of a clearing agent that only pay the VAT on imports to Customer in the next tax period via its deferment scheme, they can only claim the VAT on the imports during the tax period in which the clearing agent pays the required Customs VAT.\"<br> <br> Effectively this means that we, as small business are having to carry the VAT burden and that we could have to be carry it for as long as five months. We pay our supplier, who may be one VAT cycle behind us, which means they would only pay the VAT two months later and we would only be able to claim it in the following period. Further to this, it is up to us, the small company to prove that the VAT has been paid to SARS by our supplier. <br> <br> So not only has SARS laid the burden of financing the VAT (it is financing VAT as it is a claimable expense and SARS is actually just holding "