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AMENDMENT
OF REGULATIONS TO
GENETICALLY MODIFIED
ORGANISMS ACT, 1997
(with effect from
1 April 2014)
A notice has been
published to amend
the regulations to
the Genetically
Modified Organisms
Act 15 of 1997
with effect
from 1 April
2014.
Various fees that
are payable in terms
of Table 2 have been
increased.
A fee of R 470.00
will be payable for
the importation and
exportation of
genetically modified
organisms.
Download Notice
96 of 2014 for
more information.
The Notice was
published in
Government Gazette
37307 of 14 February
2014.
A second document,
entitled Genetically
Modified Organisms
Act: Tariffs for
services Gazette
37307 Government
Notice 95 has
also been published.
ESTABLISHMENT OF
STATUTORY MEASURES
ON MACADAMIA NUTS,
MACADAMIA KERNEL AND
MACADAMIA TREES
(comments due by 4
April 2014)
The Southern African
Macadamia Growers’
Association (SAMAC)
applied to the
Minister of
Agriculture,
Forestry and
Fisheries, for the
establishment of
statutory measures
(levies,
registration and
records and returns
on in-shell
macadamia nuts,
macadamia kernels
and macadamia trees
for a four year
period on the
5 March 2014.
Download
Notices 169 and
170
for more information
about the levies,
registration and
keeping of records.
Enquiries: Ms
Mathilda van der
Walt, National
Agricultural
Marketing Council (NAMC),
Telephone (012) 341
1115, fax (012) 341
1911 or email
mathilda@namc.co.za
.
AMENDMENT OF
REGULATIONS
REGARDING
INSPECTIONS AND
APPEALS TO
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT
STANDARDS ACT (with
effect from 1
April 2014)
A notice has been
published to amend
the regulations
regarding
inspections and
appeals to the
Agricultural Product
Standards Act.
The notice relates
to the amendment of
inspections and
appeals relating to
local products and
products for export.
In part one of the
notice which is
entitled
“Agricultural
Products Standards
Act: Regulations:
Inspections and
Appeals: Local:
Amendment”, Tables 1
and 2 are amended.
Table 1 is entitled
“inspection” and
relates to
inspection on
request and audit
and management
systems
respectively. Table
2 is entitled appeal
fees: local and
relates to appeal
fees in respect of a
whole range of
agricultural
products in
alphabetical order.
The second part of
the notice relates
to the amendment of
regulations
regarding
inspections and
appeals for
agricultural
products for export.
In this part of the
notice the fees in
Tables 1 to 4 are
amended.
The amendments have
been published under
Notice R. 131 of 28
February 2014 in
Government Gazette
37365. Download Notice
R. 131 for
more information.
INCREASE OF TARIFFS
PAYABLE FOR
VETERINARY IMPORT
PERMITS (with
effect from 1
April 2014)
The tariffs for
veterinary import
permits, export
certificates, master
import permits and
certified copies of
master importer
permits in terms of
the Animal
Diseases Act 35 of
1984
will be
increased with
effect from
1 April 2014.
The notice to
announce the
increases has been
published under
Notice 51 of 2014 in
Government
Gazette No.
37287 of 7 February
2014.
Download the Notice
at http://www.gov.za/documents/download.php?f=209161.
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The International
Trade Administration
Commission (ITAC)
is responsible for
tariff
investigations,
amendments, and
trade remedies in
South Africa and on
behalf of SACU.
Tariff
investigations
include:
Increases in the
customs duty rates
in Schedule
No. 1 Part 1 of
Jacobsens. These
applications apply
to all the SACU
Countries, and, if
amended, thus have
the potential to
affect the import
duty rates in
Botswana, Lesotho,
Namibia, Swaziland
and South Africa.
Reductions in the
customs duty rates
in Schedule No. 1
Part 1. These
applications apply
to all the SACU
Countries, and, if
amended, thus have
the potential to
affect the import
duty rates in
Botswana, Lesotho,
Namibia, Swaziland
and South Africa.
Rebates of duty on
products, available
in the Southern
African Customs
Union (SACU), for
use in the
manufacture of
goods, as published
in Schedule No. 3
Part 1, and in
Schedule No. 4 of
Jacobsens. Schedule
No. 3 Part 1 and
Schedule No. 4 are
identical in all the
SACU Countries.
Rebates of duty on
inputs used in the
manufacture of goods
for export, as
published in
Schedule No. 3 Part
2 and in item
470.00. These
provisions apply to
all the SACU
Countries.
Refunds of duties
and drawbacks of
duties as provided
for in Schedule No
5. These provisions
are identical in the
all the SACU
Countries.
Trade remedies
include:
Anti-dumping duties
(in Schedule No. 2
Part 1 of Jacobsens),
countervailing
duties to counteract
subsidisation in
foreign countries
(in Schedule No. 2
Part 2), and
safeguard duties
(Schedule No. 2 Part
3), which are
imposed as measures
when a surge of
imports is
threatening to
overwhelm a domestic
producer, in
accordance with
domestic law and
regulations and
consistent with WTO
rules.
Dumping is
defined as a
situation where
imported goods are
being sold at prices
lower than in the
country of origin,
and also causing
financial injury to
domestic producers
of such goods. In
other words there
should be a
demonstrated causal
link between the
dumping and the
injury experienced.
To remedy such
unfair pricing, ITAC
may, at times,
recommend the
imposition of
substantial duties
on imports or duties
that are equivalent
to the dumping
margin (or to the
margin of injury, if
this margin is
lower). |
Countervailing
investigations are
conducted to
determine whether to
impose
countervailing
duties to protect a
domestic industry
against the unfair
trade practice of
proven subsidised
imports from foreign
competitors that
cause material
injury to a domestic
producer.
Safeguard measures,
can be introduced to
protect a domestic
industry against
unforeseen and
overwhelming foreign
competition and not
necessarily against
unfair trade, like
the previous two
instruments. In the
WTO system, a member
may take a safeguard
action, which is,
restricting imports
temporarily in the
face of a sustained
increase in imports
that is causing
serious injury to
the domestic
producer of like
products. Safeguard
measures are
universally applied
to all countries,
unlike anti-dumping
and countervailing
duties that are
aimed at a specific
firm or country.
Schedule No. 2 is
identical in all the
SACU Countries.
ITAC has published
the following
documents relating
to the SACU Tariff
and tariff amendment
applications:
INCREASE IN THE
RATE OF CUSTOMS DUTY
ON VITREOUS ENAMELS
(HS CODE 3207.20)
Ferro Industrial
Products (Pty) Ltd
applied for an
increase in the rate
of customs duty on
vitreous enamel,
classifiable under
tariff subheading
3207.20 from free to
20%. Comments are
due by 21 March
2014.
Download the
document at http://www.gov.za/documents/download.php?f=210254
ITAC has also
published the
following documents:
International Trade
Administration Act:
Final determination
in the investigation
into the alleged
dumping of coated
paper originating in
or imported from
China and Korea
Gazette 37337
General Notice 110;
and
International Trade
Administration Act:
Initiation of a
sunset review of the
anti-dumping duties
on gypsum
plasterboard
originating in or
imported from
Indonesia and
Thailand: Comments
invited G 37337
General Notice 111
- comments by 31 Mar
2014 |
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With the exception
of certain parts of
Schedule
No. 1, such as
Schedule No. 1 Part
2 (excise duties),
Schedule No. 1 Part
3 (environmental
levies) Schedule No.
1 Part 5 (fuel and
road accident fund
levies), the other
parts of the tariff
is amended by SARS
based on
recommendations made
by ITAC resulting
from the
investigations
relating to Customs
Tariff Applications
received by them.
The ITAC then
investigates and
makes
recommendations to
the Minister of
Trade and Industry,
who requests the
Minister of Finance
to amend the Tariff
in line with the
ITAC’s
recommendations.
SARS is responsible
for drafting the
notices to amend the
tariff, as well as
for arranging for
the publication of
the notices in
Government Gazettes.
During the annual
budget speech by the
Minister of
Finance in February,
it was determined
that parts of the
tariff that are not
amended resulting from
ITAC
recommendations,
must be amended
through proposals
that are tabled by
the Minister of
Finance.
Once a year big
tariff amendments
are published by
SARS, which is in
line with the
commitments of South
Africa and SACU
under international
trade agreements.
Under these
amendments, which
are either published
in November or early
in December, the
import duties on
goods are reduced
under South Africa’s
international trade
commitments under
existing trade
agreements. |
There were no tariff
amendments at time
of publication.
The last tariff
amendments were
published on 7 March
2014. These
amendments relate to
the amendment of the
duty rates of
certain screws and
the amendment
of item
207.01/3920.49/01.06
to exclude specific
PVC strips of a
thickness of 2 mm
and a width not
exceeding 20 mm from
the existing
anti-dumping duties
applicable on PVC
rigid, originating
in or imported from
the People's
Republic of China (PRC).
Subscribers will
soon be able to view
a PDF version of the
tariff book
supplements at new.jacobsens.co.za.
Download the
latest Customs Watch
to have access to
the latest tariff
and rule amendments. |
