South Africa - Sugar import tariff increase in pipeline

摘要

A hike to the import tariff on sugar is imminent, local press reports said. A new regime has been processed and passed on to the South African Revenue Service (SARS) for implementation, Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies said. The move signals a more favourable view towards raising tariffs to protect local production by the department and the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) - the government body that investigates trade remedies. Local sugar producers have complained for several years that the industry is at risk from cheap sugar imports, mainly from Brazil. Last year the South African Sugar Association (SASA) applied to ITAC for a higher dollar-based reference price on imports, which would effectively put an import tariff in place.