DUTY CALLS is your weekly look at changes in the South African tariff dispensation and amendments to Customs and Excise legislation. This column aims to provide the reader with a summary of the main changes and is not intended to be a comprehensive statement of the law. No liability is accepted for errors or omissions.
Tariff Amendments - 6 December
A correction notice has been issued in respect of the tariff amendment of 29 November, which merely corrects the wording in respect of tariff subheading 8482.99.
Anti-dumping Duty - Response due
Investigation into the alleged dumping of gypsum plasterboard, classifiable under tariff subheading 6809.11, originating in or imported from Thailand. Response due by 9 December 2002.
Investigation into the alleged dumping of flat-rolled products of iron or non-alloy steel, painted, varnished or coated with plastic, classifiable under tariff subheadings 7210.70 and 7212.40, originating in or imported from Australia. Response due by 16 December 2002.
Tariff Applications - Response due
The reduction of the duty on torque wrenches, classifiable under subheading 8204.12.20, from 20% ad valorem to free of duty, by amending the words of the product description as follows: ‘Wrenches with a length of 140mm or more but not exceeding 310mm, excluding torque wrenches (including parts, whether or not worked)’. (Torque wrenches are not manufactured in South Africa so protection is not required.)
Glass microspheres not exceeding 1mm in diameter, classifiable under tariff subheading 7018.20, from 20% ad valorem to free of duty. (There is no local source of supply of an equivalent product and the duty merely adds costs to the local manufacturer who has to import the product.)
Slag wool, rock wool and similar wools of ceramic aluminica silica with a mass per m2 not exceeding 1 000g in rolls or sheets, from 15% ad valorem to free of duty. (According to the applicant this material is not manufactured locally, and is used mainly in catalytic converters, of which 99% are exported.)
Response on these applications due by 3 January 2003.
Application for market access permits for
agricultural products
As per South Africa’s commitment under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Marrakesh Agreement regarding market access, application for permits for specified agricultural products are invited. Further information is available on request.
