DUTY CALLS is your weekly look at changes in the South African tariff dispensation and amendments to the rules to the Customs and Excise legislation. This column aims to provide the reader with a summary on the main changes and is not intended to be a comprehensive statement of the law. No liability is accepted for errors or omissions. Trade Negotiating Team Requests Inputs The National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC) has established Sector Trade Negotiating Teams (Teams) in order to solicit and obtain inputs from its constituents to provide inputs to the South African Government’s tariff and trade negotiators. The Teams include Textile, Clothing, Footwear and Leather; Chemicals; Paper, Pulp and Wood; Metals and Engineering; Services; Agriculture; and Autos. Rule Amendment (DAR/95) - 9 July The insertion of rules 64G of the Act, the licensing of, and conditions and procedures applicable to, degrouping depots contemplated in respect of goods imported by air. Licences Amendment - 9 July Insertion of Item 850.00 i.e. “Degrouping Depot”. The licence fee will be R1 000, and the period of validity will be from the effective date until 31 December of the year in which it was issued. Tariff Amendments - 9 July The Southern African Development Community (SADC) rate of customs duty (duty) on conical bed nets solely containing yarns of multi-filament polyesters, classifiable under tariff subheading 6304.91.10, has been reduced from 10% ad valorem to free of duty. It is with retrospective effect to 1 January 2004. Tariff Amendments - 2 July The general rate of duty, the European Union (EU) rate of duty, and the SADC rate of duty on four tariff subheadings in respect of cane sugar and beet sugar, classifiable under tariff subheadings 1701.11, 1701.12, 1701.91 and 1701.99, are decreased from 101.8c/kg to 71.8c/kg Tariff Application - Response due Rebate of the customs duty (duty) on 100% knitted cotton fabric of 150m2 for the manufacture of laminated knitted cotton used for medical vests. Application for the amendment of the article description of tariff subheading 2309.90.35 from “feed supplements containing by mass 50 per cent or more of choline chloride” to “feed supplements containing by mass 40 per cent more of choline chloride”. The application would reduce the rate of duty from 20 per cent ad valorem to zero. Response due by 23 July 2004. The rebate of the duty on woven fabrics of a width exceeding 3.70m obtained from strip or the like of polypropylene, and/or filaments of polypropylene unprinted for use as backing in the manufacture of wall-to-wall tufted carpets with a finished width exceeding 3.60m. Response due by 16 July 2004. Anti-dumping Amendments - 2 July The withdrawal, with retrospective effect to May 28, in respect of float glass and surface ground or polished glass, in sheets, whether or not having an absorbent, reflecting or non-reflecting layer, but otherwise not worked excluding optical glass imported from or originating in Israel. The products are classifiable under tariff subheading 6809.11. Anti-dumping Investigation - Response Due Notice of the initiation of an investigation into the alleged dumping of cheddar cheese, classifiable under tariff subheading 0406.90, originating in or imported from Ireland. Response due by 26 July 2004.
