Zim aligns duty-free rates with SADC protocol

IN LINE with the latest phase-down of customs duty in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Zimbabwe customs has now also adjusted its duty lists to comply with the January 1 SADC trade protocol. It is part of the implementation of the protocol which, since its ratification in 2000, has seen SADC member states negotiating tariff reduction schedules, rules of origin, a dispute settlement mechanism, special product agreements, elimination of non-tariff barriers and harmonisation of customs, trade documentation and clearance procedures. Harare’s The Herald newspaper did its own research of the amended Customs and Excise Act, and listed some of the goods which are now granted dutyfree status in Zimbabwe. They include meat products; live animals and birds; agricultural goods (such as potatoes, cabbage, legumes and seeds, coffee, cereals and rice); fertilisers; pharmaceutical products; printers; tubes and tyres for heavy-duty vehicles; engine and motor spare parts; and clothing. The reduced duty levels are aimed at full duty-free movement of goods in the SADC free trade area (FTA) by 2015.