How to apply for an increase in customs duty

If prices of competing imported products are unreasonably low and harmful to your industry, you can apply for an increase in the customs duty levied on those products.

The International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) will consider increasing customs duties to help domestic producers experiencing threatening import pressures, adjust and restructure. This protection should enable domestic producers to become internationally competitive in the medium to long term.

This tariff support will be tied to conditions related to economic performance over time and will be reviewed after a specified period.

The increase in customs duties will remain within the World Trade Organisation (WTO) bound rates. The WTO bound rates set the limit beyond which customs duty increases cannot go.

What you should do

• Complete an application form, Customs Tariff Amendment application form: Reduction, Increase or rebate of duty.
• Submit the application form to the International Trade Administration Commission.

Timeframe

This application takes four to 12 months to process.

How much does it cost

ITAC does not charge any service fees but you will have to pay customs duty at SARS. Customs duty is calculated as a percentage of the value of the goods (set in the schedules to the Customs and Excise Act). For more info on SARS customs duty, visit the SARS website.

Forms to complete

(Forms are provided in PDF format. To open PDF documents, you need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader 4 or higher installed on your computer.)

Customs Tariff Amendment application form: Reduction, Increase or rebate of duty

Who to contact