On 10 June 2021, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and the European Union (EU) - World Customs Organization (WCO) Programme for Harmonized System (HS) in Africa (HS-Africa Programme) held a consultation meeting on implementation of the new version of the HS in Zimbabwe. The meeting was organised in the context of ZIMRA’s ongoing efforts to implement the seventh edition of the HS in a timely and coordinated manner.
The meeting took stock of the processes and the timeline put in place by the ZIMRA to streamline the migration exercise for the upcoming implementation of the HS 2022 and prepare the necessary instruments in advance of the implementation date. This will add an extra layer of certainty to ensure timely implementation of the HS 2022 and future versions of the HS. The HS-Africa Programme stressed the importance of developing a robust, transparent and participative national mechanism for the implementation of HS amendments, as well as reaching out to all the relevant stakeholders of the implementation process, both public and private.
The HS-Africa Programme has committed to support the ZIMRA in their efforts to streamline the HS migration process and enhance its capacities on tariff classification for better trade facilitation and revenue collection. A work plan has been established covering consultations with other national government agencies and private sector stakeholders as well as awareness-raising campaigns. These actions will be conducted in all six regions in Zimbabwe. The HS-Africa Programme reiterated its unwavering commitment to support Zimbabwe in this important area of Customs work, and other initiatives will be launched with the ZIMRA soon, namely on digitalisation and advance rulings.
Story by: Riaan de Lange