Duty Calls

US Chicken Sunset

Review

The International Trade

Administration Commission

of South Africa (Itac) has

initiated a sunset review

of anti-dumping duties on

frozen bone-in portions of

chicken (fowls of species

gallus domesticus), classifiable

under tariff headings

0207.14.91, 0207.14.93,

0207.14.95, 0207.14.96,

0207.14.97, 0207.14.98 and

0207.14.99, imported from

or originating in the United

States of America, on which

comment is due by 24 April.

EPA replaces TDCA

On 31 March the South

African Revenue Service

(Sars) announced the

amendment of the general

notes to Schedule No 1 to

the Customs and Excise Act,

1964 (the Act) which revised

the tariff rate quotas through

the substitution of Table 1

in paragraph 3.1 to Note

IJ of the general notes for

the Economic Partnership

Agreement (EPA). EPA came

into effect on 10 October

2016.

Fuel levy and diesel

refund

On 31 March Sars announced

an increase of 30cents/

litre (c/l) in the rate of the

general fuel levy from 285c/l

to 315c/l and 270c/l to

300c/l on petrol and diesel

respectively to give effect to

the 2017 Budget proposals

announced by the finance

minister on 22 February. As a

consequence of the increase in

the fuel levy, the diesel refund

provisions have been adjusted

accordingly.

Wheat and wheaten

flour duty

On 31 March Sars announced

a reduction in the rates of

customs duty on wheat and

wheaten flour, classifiable

under tariff subheadings

1001.91 and 1001.99 to the

Act, from 159.14c/kg to

119.02c/kg, and those of tariff

subheadings 1101.00.10 and

1101.00.90 to the Act from

238.71c/kg to 178.53c/kg, in

terms of the existing variable

tariff formula. The reasoning

for the reduction is contained

in the Itac Minute M01/2017.

Atrazine duty

reduction

Sars on 31 March announced

a reduction in the “general”

rate of customs duty on

atrazine, classifiable under

tariff subheading 2933.69.30

to the Act, from 10% ad

valorem to free of duty. The

reasoning for the reduction

is contained in Itac Report

No.541.

Customs Conventions

On 29 March Sars announced

an update of the Multilateral

Mutual Administrative

Assistance Conventions/

Agreements on Customs.

Steel wire and

fasteners tariff

Sars on 31 March announced

the substitution of various

tariff subheadings under

tariff headings 72.17 and

73.18 to the Act amending

the rates of customs duty

on steel wire products and

steel fasteners through an

increase. The reasoning for

the increases is contained in

Itac Report No 545.

RAF Levy

Itac on 31 March announced

an increase of 9c/l in the Road

Accident Fund (RAF) levy

from 154c/l to 163c/l on both

petrol and diesel to give effect

to the 2017 Budget proposals

announced by the finance

minister on 22 February.

Duty Calls’ Watch List

Comment due by 14 April

on the adjustment of certain

dairy products to the World

Trade Organisation (WTO)

binding rates.