Customs and Excise highlights

1. Amendments to Rules to the Customs & Excise Act, No 91 of 1964 (Act) (certain sections quoted from the SARS website):

1.1. Amendment of Rule 64E.12 and 64E.14 to the Act which serves to increase the benefits for level 2 accredited clients. 

2 Amendments to Schedules to the Act:

2.1 Schedule 1:

2.1.1 General Notes to Schedule No. 1, by the substitution of Table 1 in paragraph 3.1 to Note IJ to implement the SACU allocation of cheese tariff rate quota under the EPA agreement between the EU and SADC EPA states with retrospective effect from 1 January 2018. 

2.2 Schedule 2:

2.2.1 The deletion of items 215.02/7318.15.39/01.08, 215.02/7318.15.39/02.08 and 215.02/7318.15.39/03.08 to terminate anti-dumping duties on fully threaded screws with hexagon heads originating in or imported from the People’s Republic of China, with retrospective effect from 15 November 2017. 

3. SARS issued a circular dated 8 May 2018 wherein external stakeholders were advised as follows (certain sections quoted from the circular):

3.1 SARS is on the verge of implementing the first phase of the Customs Sufficient Knowledge (CSK) assessment process which falls under the New Customs Acts Programme (NCAP).

The CSK is a Customs Control Act (CCA) prerequisite for certain client types to have CSK for registration and licensing purposes on the RLA system. The initial rollout of CSK will go live on 11 May 2018 for the following CCA registration and licensing client types only: Local Road carriers, Own Goods Carriers: Road, Local Road Couriers, General Customs Brokers, Courier Customs Brokers and Registered Agents: Road Carriers (non-local). 

As the CCA has not yet been operationalised, taking the test will not be mandatory at this stage. However, clients are encouraged to write the test as it will assist them to become familiar with the new legislation to avoid consequences stemming from non-compliance in the future.

The test will be written online at various SARS venues around the country. However, in the early phase, SARS will enable limited test venues and will be extending venue schedules according to a phased roll-out plan. From 14 May, clients will be able to book to take the test as per available schedules on the CSK system. When clients go on the CSK application via eFiling to nominate and book, the schedule will indicate which venues are available on which dates.

For more information you can go to the SARS website > Customs & Excise > New Customs Legislation Update > CSK or click here: http://www.sars.gov.za/ClientSegments/Customs-Excise/AboutCustoms/Pages/Customs-Sufficient-Knowledge-Test-FAQs.aspx. If you have any questions, please mail us on NewCustomsActs@sars.gov.za 

4. The International Trade Administration Commission has done the following (certain sections quoted from the notices):

4.1 Per notice on 20 April 2018 decided to proceed with an investigation for remedial action in the form of a safeguard against the increased imports of other screws fully threaded with hexagon heads made of steel classified under tariff subheading 7318.15.39.

All information submitted, including non-confidential copies thereof, should be received by the Senior Manager: Trade Remedies by no later than 20 days from the date of the notice.

Should you have any queries, please contact Mr Zuko Ntsangani at telephone number (012) 394 3662 or Ms Mosa Sebe at telephone number (012) 394 1850 or at fax (012) 394 0518.

4.2 Received the following application concerning Customs Tariff:

4.2.1 Per notice dated 20 April 2018, for the creation of a rebate facility for Caustic Soda classifiable under tariff subheading 2815.12 for the extraction of Copper and Nickel classifiable under tariff headings 2603.00 and 2604.00.

Representation should be submitted within four (4) weeks of the date of the notice.

4.2.2 Per notice dated 20 April 2018, an increase in the rate of duty on “Diphosphorus Pentaoxide; Phosphoric Acid; Polyphosphoric Acids, Whether Or Not Chemically Defined: Of a phosphorous content of 78 per cent or more”, classifiable under tariff subheading 2809.20.10, from free of duty to 10 per cent ad valorem.

For enquiries contact: Mr C Sako, Tel: (012) 394 3669, Email: csako@itac.org.za, or Ms T Morale, Tel: (012) 394 3694, Email: tmorale@itac.org.za.

5. The following notices were published in the Government Gazette:

5.1 Notice 186 of 2018 (of 20 April 2018) relating to the Agricultural Product Standards Act No. 119 of 1990, which states as follows: 

the standards and requirements regarding control of the export of Avocados … are hereby further amended.

…….

shall come into operation seven days after publication of this notice.

5.2 Notice 468 dated 4 May 2018, relating to the Agricultural Product Standards Act No. 119 of 1990, which states as follows:

the standards and requirements regarding control of the export of Citrus fruits … are hereby further amended;

…….

shall come into operation seven days after publication of this notice.