DUTY CALLS

New Customs
Legislation Update?
In a 16 May 2016 South
African Revenue Service
(Sars) letter on the rules to the
2014 amended Customs Acts,
titled “Update on new customs
legislation”, paragraph 3 reads
“… The date for the workshop
will be announced at a later
stage but will likely be before
the end of July 2016.”; and
paragraph 4 “The second
draft of the Customs Duty
rules is near completion and
is expected to be published
for comment before the end of
July 2016.”
When will the workshop
take place, the second draft
be published, and then what
about the Customs Control
rules?
You are reminded of the
preceding 14 August 2015 Sars
letter, paragraph 5: “Work
has already begun on specific
projects, such as registration
and licensing … which
will be implemented once
the new Acts go live.”; and
paragraph 6: “The first phase
of implementation, which will
deal with registration and
licensing, is expected to go live
in 2016. … .”
WTO Safeguard
Notification
South Africa notified the
World Trade Organisation
(WTO) on 29 July, in
accordance with the
agreement on safeguards, of
the initiation of a safeguard
investigation into the surge of
imports of flat-rolled products
of iron or non-alloy steel, or
other alloy steel but excluding
stainless steel, of all widths,
cold-rolled (cold-reduced),
not clad, plated or coated and
not further worked than coldreduced,
referred to as “coldrolled
steel products.”
Cold-rolled Iron and
Steel Safeguard
The International Trade
Administration Commission
of South Africa (Itac)
has initiated a safeguard
investigation for cold-rolled
steel products classifiable in
tariff subheadings 7209.15,
7209.16, 7209.17, 7209.18,
7225.50 and 7226.92.
The application was lodged
by the South African Iron
and Steel Institute (SAISI),
serving the collective interests
of the primary steel industry
in South Africa on behalf of
ArcelorMittal South Africa
(AMSA), the major producer
of cold-rolled steel products
representing the Southern
African Customs Union (Sacu)
industry.
Comment due by 18 August
2016.
Sugar Variable Formula
Tariff
On 05 August Sars announced
a reduction in the rates of
customs duty for sugar,
classifiable in tariff heading
17.01, from 239.5c/kg to
144.33c/kg, in terms of Itac
minute 03/2016.
Imported Vehicle Rules
Sars on 04 August called for
comment on updated draft
amendments to the rules of
the Customs and Excise Act,
1964 relating to the movement
of newly imported vehicles
from depot to bonded facility.
Comment is due by 19
August 2016.
Duty Calls Watch List
Comment is due on (i) “Policy
paper and proposals on the
taxation of sugar-sweetened
beverages” by 22 August;
(ii) review of the “general”
rate of customs duty on
various downstream steel
products by 19 August; (iii)
the review of the dollar-based
domestic reference price and
the variable tariff formula
for wheat; wheaten flour;
maize; maize flour; and
sugar by 19 August; and (iv)
a public interest hearing on
the safeguard investigation of
certain flat-rolled products
of iron and non-alloy steel is
scheduled for 30 August.