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Increase in customs duty to provide assistance to SACU industries to improve international competitiveness |
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Frequently asked questions |
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 What happens to my application after being submitted? |
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 Receipt is acknowledged and ITAC allocates the application to an investigating officer who will be responsible for compiling a submission on your application for consideration. The investigating officer will contact you if any additional information is required. |
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What is the process that is followed by ITAC when considering an application for changes to customs duties? |
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When considering an application for a change to customs duties, a submission containing all the information required by the Commission is compiled for its consideration. Should the Commission decide the merit of the application justifies further investigation, the application is published in the Government Gazette allowing a period of 6 weeks for public comments. Comments received are referred to the applicant for his input. If necessary, additional information is also obtained from various sources. A detailed submission containing all information, including comments/objections received, is compiled by the investigating officer and presented to the Commission. The Commission then considers the merit of the application based on customs tariff policy and makes a decision to support or reject the application. A Report containing the findings and recommendations of the Commission is then compiled and submitted to the Minister of Trade and Industry for approval. If the Minister approves, the Minister of Finance is requested to implement the Commission's recommendations by amending the Customs and Excise Act, 1964. |
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How long does it take for an application for changes to customs duties to be finalised after handing it in? |
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The time required to finalise an application varies from case to case but in general published applications for an increase in the duty takes six to twelve months to be finalised. |
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What are the criteria used when an application for an increase in the duty on imported products is considered? |
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The general trend over the long term is towards the lowering of customs duties but an increase in the ordinary duties on specific products is considered under exceptional circumstances. An increase is considered favourably only if such an increase would contribute to industrial development in accordance with the national economic objectives. |
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