Source: ‘Zim to act on SA tariff lift request’ | The Herald January 6, 2017
Business Reporter —
ZIMBABWE says it will submit a response to South Africa soon explaining its position on the southern trade partner’s request for a phase down of taxes on certain imports in terms of the Sadc trade protocol.
South Africa requested Harare to reduce charges covered under 112 tariff lines, which it believed Zimbabwe did not have production capacity for, out of as many as 1 000 products.
The longstanding enquiry follows the Sadc trade protocol, which came into force in 2008. Calls by Pretoria for the tariff phase down became even louder following controls Harare introduced in July last year, which restrict importation of products that can be manufactured locally.
But in terms of measures taken by Zimbabwe under Statutory Instrument 64 of 2016, Government says Pretoria now fully understands the rationale behind the measures to restrict certain imports, but would respond to other tariff issues under the Sadc trade protocol.
Industry and Commerce Minister Mike Bimha said Zimbabwe expects to provide an explanation to its biggest trading partner by end of this month, having enlisted Sadc for technical assistance on the issue.
The trade minister said the work that needs to be done entails more than just a phase down of tariffs on listed products with a lot of technical work to be done, which his ministry is already working on.
Minister Bimha said Zimbabwe needed to clinically look at each product, before exempting it from prescribed charges on being imported, in line with the requirements under the Sadc trade protocol, which South Africa has long demanded the country to observe. Zimbabwe will apply for derogation from Sadc on the 112 tariff lines.
“In terms of the Sadc trade protocol, we have explained the situation to the South African Government. There is a provision (for doing it), but it might take six months to complete paper work if we do it on our own,” he said.
As such, Minister Bimha he has asked Sadc to provide a trade expert whom he said would help Government to prepare the paper work, which he hoped should be completed by the end of this month.
Pretoria also wants outright removal of the charges if possible.
Zimbabwe also has trade issues it wants South Africa to address; the requirement for Zimbabwe’s pharmaceutical exports to be airlifted and enter through OR Tambo International Airport.
COMMENTS
Zanu wilfully destroyed the industrialised economy of Zimbabwe in 2000 when they set up the FTLRP to take control – a Zanu Command Economy. RSA took the opportunity to sell goods into Zim who then had a broken formal market! Mbeki went one step further and kept Bob in power to keep the Zim market open to the South African manufacturers and traders. Not much was spared by Zanu – dairy, flowers, horticulture, tobacco, grain, the pension funds, the Zimbabwe Dollar, mines, farms, beef, wildlife, citrus estates and thousands and thousands of jobs – like Kondozi – and the sugar industry. The accepted Diapsoranism is actually a result of Zanu Command Impoverishment and Zanu Command Emigration. Now Zanu want to use their handiwork to innovate Command Diaspora Remittance, Command Agriculture, Command Free and Fair Elections, Command Bond Notes and Command Scoonsie propaganda to the Commonwealth. Zanu is highly innovative – all this Command Policy can be done from China and Singapore – and in fact from anywhere in the world from Command Air Mugabe 1! Even more impressive is the manner in which the whole Command Exercise has been taken hook, line and sinker by so many. For smoke and mirrors – I have to give Zanu 10 out of 10 for a Commanding Performance.
But that command system has grave quensequenses for ZANU this time around, even the armed forces are going to turn against that system in masses just wait and see,not in the too distant future
It’s unfortunate that only the minority is benefiting on this, while the majority is sleeping with empty stomach because of stupidity of this so called government of ours.just take a drive in rural areas and witness what im talking about,.