The International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (Itac) announced that it has completed its comprehensive review of steel tariffs and will soon submit the report to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Parks Tau. The findings will be made public after the Minister’s review.
The review, launched in March, focuses on chapters 72, 73, 82, and 83, covering steel and stainless steel products with an estimated annual import value of around R66 billion. In the initial phase, Itac received 150 comments, including requests to increase tariffs to WTO-bound levels, introduce new duty exemptions, and add certain products to the import control list. A preliminary determination was published on 20 August, followed by an additional 109 submissions.
The commission stated that it has made final decisions on all items and will forward the report to the Minister for approval. The feedback received highlighted requests to expand the range of products subject to tariff increases, introduce additional exemption mechanisms, and place more products under import permit requirements.
In a notice published in the Government Gazette on 21 November, Itac launched a new consultation on additional proposed changes. The proposals include raising tariffs on 20 products to WTO-bound rates of 10–15%, introducing new duty exemptions for certain products, and requiring import permits for others.
Analysis indicates that this notice could lead to tariff increases on 20 additional steel codes (on top of the original 105), import controls on 49 additional codes (on top of 392), and new exemptions on 46 tariff codes. Itac has allowed stakeholders two weeks to submit their comments on the proposals.
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