DUTY CALLS

New Tariff Application
Form
In a Government Gazette
notice, dated 10 June, 2016,
the International Trade
Administration Commission
of South Africa (Itac),
under the auspices of the
Department of Trade and
Industry (dti), informed of its
Customs Tariff Amendment
Application Forms.
According to the
notice, Itac had revised its
Customs Tariff Amendment
Application Forms for (i)
an increase in the rate of
customs duty; (ii) a reduction
in the rate of customs duty;
and the (iii) creation of a
rebate facility.
Itac had previously
amended the Tariff
Amendment Application
Forms to reflect the directive
to Itac by the Economic
Development Minister,
which was published in
Government Gazette of
21 April, 2016.
Applicants must submit
their tariff applications
by completing the new
application forms, which are
available on Itac’s website.
Itac Steel Committee
The Economic Development
Minister – in a Government
Gazette notice dated 10
June, 2016 – announced
the establishment of an Itac
committee to monitor and
make recommendations to
the commission in respect
of the impact of the changes
in import tariffs applicable
to the primary steel industry
on downstream users in the
steel industry; the pricing of
the products of producers in
the primary steel industry to
downstream users; and the
steel industry generally.
This would include the
commitments made by
applicants for such changes
in import tariffs and their
impact on job creation and
job retention, industrial
output, investments in plant,
equipment, skills, research,
development, technology and
economic investments; jobs
in the full steel industry value
chain; import and export
trends in the steel industry
value chain.
The committee was
established for a period
of five (5) years from 10
June, 2016, and comprises
individual members referred
to as ‘Itac Commissioners’,
and ‘Additional Persons’ are
appointed for a period of
12 months.
The committee shall report
to Itac at least biannually,
and the committee shall meet
for the dispatch of business,
adjourn and otherwise
regulate their meetings as
they think fit.
The notice was signed by
the Economic Development
Minister on 21 May, 2016.
Trade Remedies
Amendment
On 15 June, 2016, the South
African Revenue Service
(Sars) announced that,
with effect from 17 June,
2016, the amendment of
Part 1 of Schedule No. 2 of
Customs and Excise Act
91, 1964 (Anti-dumping
on Imported Goods) by the
insertion of Rebate Items
listed in Schedule No. 3 to
the Act ( Industrial Rebates
of Customs Duties) and
Schedule No.4 to the Act
(General Rebates of Customs
Duties, Fuel Levy and
Environmental Levy) in the
column headed ‘Rebate Item’,
which will be subject to the
payment of anti-dumping.
The amendments are in terms
of Itac Minute M10/2015
HS Nomenclature
Extension
On 14 June, Sars announced
that comment on the
proposed changes to the
Harmonized System (HS)
Nomenclature 2017 that was
due to expire on 30 June,
2016, had been extended to
29 July, 2016.
Duty Calls’ Watch List
Comment is due by 30
June, 2016 on the draft
Rule Amendments on the
movement of new imported
vehicles on own wheels.