17.
(C):
A:
Question and Answer Brief on the Cotton Textile Duties
Are all cotton textiles imported from the CPA to become subject to duty?
No.
The duties are to be imposed in general only those types of product which are now subject to quota control. A few minor alterations have been made for technical reasons.
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No. These goods are not now subject to quota control.
Q:
Will knitted cotton goods become dutiable?
A:
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A:
Q:
A:
Q:
Will the duties apply to all Commonwealth countries even though some are not now subject to quota restrictions? Yes. We cannot discriminate in the tariff between individual members of the Commonwealth Preference Area.
Will imports of cotton goods from the Irish Republic become dutiable?
No. They will continue to enjoy duty free entry under the terms of the Anglo-Irish Free Trade Agreement, but certain changes will be needed in the present origin rules qualifying the goods for duty free entry (see paragraph 32 below).
Will imports from ETTA become dutiable?
A:
No.
Q:
A:
Cotton goods imported from our EFTA partners will continue to enjoy duty free entry.
How is the level of duty arrived at?
We have followed the Textile Council's recommendation that the duty should be 85% of the full rate. This will give a small preference margin to Commonwealth suppliers and is in line with the duties charged under a number of headings on silk and man-made fibre textiles imported from the CPA.. It is also very close to the rates applied by the EEC.
ORIGINAL REASONS FOR DECISION TO IMPOSE THE TARIFF
18. The decision to impose the tariff on imports of cotton yarn and woven cotton textiles from the CPA was announced by the then President of the Board of Trade, ir Antony Crosland, on 22 July 1939 and reaffirmed in the House of Commons by the Minister for Trade in answer to a PQ on 8 February 1971. The decision followed a recommendation in the Textile Council's Report published in 1969 on present performance and future prospects in the cotton and Allied Textiles Industry. This Report set out what was essentially a blue-print for the restructuring of the cotton and allied textiles industry involving reductions in size and improvements in productivity in order to bring the industry's competitiveness up to European standards. The main elements in its forecast were that between 1968 and 1975 employment in