DUTY CALLS

17 Jun 2016 - by Riaan de Lange

Aluminium Printing

Plates Tariff

On 10 June the South African

Revenue Service (Sars)

published a reduction in

the ‘general’ rate of customs

duty on aluminium printing

plates classifiable in tariff

subheading 3701.30.25 to

the Customs and Excise Act,

1964, from 15% ad valorem

to free of duty. The reasoning

for the International Trade

Administration Commission

of South Africa (Itac)

recommendation is contained

in its report number 523.

Hot-rolled Steel Tariff

Sars on 10 June published

an increase in the ‘general’

rate of customs duty on hotrolled

steel, classifiable in

various tariff subheadings in

Tariff Chapter 72 to the Act

‘Iron and Steel’, from free

of duty to 10% ad valorem.

The reasoning for Itac’s

recommendation is contained

in its report number 524.

Shirt Rebate Provision

On 10 June Sars published

the insertion of rebate item

311.40/5513.21/01.06 to

the Act (Industrial Rebates

of Customs Duties) which

provides for the rebate of

the customs duty on woven

fabrics, classifiable in tariff

subheading 5513.21, used in

the manufacture of shirts.

The reasoning for Itac’s

recommendation is contained

in its report number 522.

Liquor Refund

Provision

Sars on 07 June released

its proposed amendment of

Section C to Part 1 of Schedule

No 6 to the Act (refunds

and rebates of excise duties,

fuel levy and environmental

levy: rebates and refunds of

specific excise duties: rebates

and refunds of specific

excise duties on wine and

other fermented beverages

(excluding beer made from

malt and traditional African

beer), mixtures of fermented

beverages and mixtures of

fermented beverages and

non-alcoholic beverages

not elsewhere specified or

included) to provide for a

refund provision for the return

of duty paid wine, vermouth

and other fermented beverages

which are off-specification or

have become contaminated

or have undergone postmanufacturing

deterioration,

on which comment is due by

21 June 2016.

The insertion of note 6

in Section C to Part 1 of

Schedule No 6 of the Act, and

refund items 620.22/104.15,

620.23/104.16 and

620.24/104.17 in Section C

to Part 1 of Schedule No 6 to

the Act.

EU/SADC EPA

After more than a decade of

negotiations, the 28-member

European Union (EU) and

six (of 15) Southern African

Development Community

(SADC) members – namely

Botswana, Lesotho,

Mozambique, Namibia, South

Africa and Swaziland – on 10

June in Kasane, Botswana,

signed the SADC Economic

Partnership Agreement (EPA).

This development-oriented

agreement is the first of its

kind with an African region

pursuing regional economic

integration.

According to the EU,

the SADC EPA takes into

account the different levels of

development of each partner,

guaranteeing Botswana,

Lesotho, Mozambique,

Namibia, and Swaziland

duty-free, quota-free access

to the EU market. South

Africa benefits from enhanced

market access, going

beyond the existing bilateral

arrangement. The agreement

provides increased flexibility

of southern African producers

for accumulation, as well

as a number of protective

measures for fragile industries

or for food security reasons.