Friday, March 16, 1973
14
NEW IMPORT AND EXPORT (FEES) REGULATIONS
Certification Fees To Be Raised
Commenting on the new Import and Export (Fees) Regulations published
in today's Government Gazette, a spokesman for the Commerce and Industry
Department said that the date of commencement of the Regulations had not yet
been decided, but the trade would be given plenty of advance notice of their
coming into operation.
The main change relates to certification fees and these will be raised
from $10 to $15 per application
This increase is necessary in order that the rising costs of providing
the certification service may be covered. The fees were last revised in 1960.
The spokesman went on to explain that, with effect from the introduction
of the new fees, applicants would also have to start typing their own certificates.
At present the Department did this for them in the case of standard
certificates of origin.
However, the costs of this service had increased substantially over
the years and it was no longer economically possible to continue to provide it.
Applicants already typed their own Generalised and Commonwealth Preference
certificates, and the addition of standard certificates should not cause undue
difficulties.
Also, a new certificate of origin form aligned to the master documents
drawn up by the Hong Kong Working Party for Simpler Trade Documents would shortly
be introduced and this would reduce the typing burden for those firme using the
"one-run system" for their export documentation.
The spokesman added that the decision to increase fees had been made with
the concurrence of members of the Certification Co-ordination Committee, and the
approved non-Government issuing bodies would also be raising their charges for
certificate applications.
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