WCO’s 179th Member The World Customs Organisation (WCO) has announced that the Federal Republic of Somalia became its 179th member on 4 October 2012. Namibia’s Customs Reform The Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, visited Windhoek, Namibia on October 1-2 where he met Customs management and political leaders to discuss Customs modernisation and its contribution to economic development. Mikuriya took the opportunity to pay a courtesy call to the executive secretary of the Southern African Customs Union (Sacu), Tswelopele Cornelia Moremi, with whom he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2009. Moremi explained the ongoing transformation of Sacu and its new focus on trade facilitation. Trade Department Bursaries The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) has extended an invitation to all future students to apply for undergraduate bursary opportunities to further their studies. The fields of study include BCom Economics, BCom Econometrics, BCom Statistics, BCom Economics and Econometrics, and BCom Economics and Statistics. Bursary applications close on 31 October 2012. WCO Receives Pharaohs Tariff The Director General of Egyptian Customs, Mohamed Elalhawy, on 27 September 2012, presented the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, with a colour papyrus copy of the Customs tariff applied in Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs some 2 000 years BC. The original tablet can be found in a museum in Egypt. The papyrus will be displayed at WCO headquarters. Rule Amendments Comments in respect of draft amendments of the General System of Preferences (GSP) for the European Union (EU) and Norway, published by the South African Revenue Service (Sars), are due by 15 October 2012. The amendments include (i) Draft Notice for EU GSP, (ii) Form DA46A.03 – Application for Certificate of Origin Form A; (iii) DA46A.04 – Declaration by Producer; (iv) DA49A.01 – Supplier’s Declaration Form, (v) Form DA185, (vi) Form DA185.4A2, (vii) Form DA185.4A7., and (viii) A Draft notice for Norway GSP. Background documents for the EU were also published, namely (i) Commission Regulation (EEC) No.2454/93, (ii) Commission Regulation (EU) No.1063/2010, (iii) Council Regulation (EC) No.732/2008, (iv) Regulation (EU) No.512/2011, and (v) A Guide for Users. Duty Calls Watch List Comments are due by 02 November 2012 in respect of the increase in the domestic dollar-based reference price for wheat, classifiable under tariff heading 1001.9, from US$215/ ton to US$326/ton through an adjustment in the variable tariff formula for wheat by the inclusion of a self sufficiency factor of 1.158. Comments are due by 29 October 2012 in respect of the initiation of the sunset review of the anti-dumping duties on plates and sheets, film, foil and strip of polymers of vinyl chloride, classifiable under tariff subheading 3920.49, originating in or imported from the People’s Republic of China and Chinese Taipei.
