On 20 October 2016, the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection introduced the Customs Tariff Amendment (Expanded Information Technology Agreement Implementation and Other Measures) Bill 2016 (the Bill) into the House of Representatives. Subject to the Bill becoming an act of Parliament it will amend the Customs Tariff Act 1995 (the Customs Tariff Act) to incrementally reduce customs duty rates to ‘Free’ on a range of information technology products.
On 17 October 2016, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) issued Notice № 2016/35, Voluntary disclosures under Section 243T and Section 243U Customs Act 1901 which provides guidance on what a voluntary disclosure is, what it can cover, and how to make a submission. The submission, called an error notice, must disclose fully, truthfully and of the submitter’s own accord, the details of the relevant import or export declaration(s) and the nature of the error(s). If the disclosure results in additional duty and taxes, the outstanding amount must be paid. If a voluntary disclosure is made, the person making it is protected from offences in sections 243T and 243U of the Customs Act 1901 (the Act) that relate to false or misleading statements.
On 1 September 2016, the Government issued Decree 09 to implement for 2016-2019 the Free Trade Agreements of which Vietnam is a Party. The Decree came into effect at the same time as the Law on Export and Import Tax in 2016. Previously preferential tariffs were announced by the Minister of Finance in the form of circulars, but pursuant to Section 11 of the Law on Export and Import Tax in 2016, the implementation will be in the form of Government Decrees. The following Government Decrees were issued as part of Decree 9:
On September 12, 2016, Global Affairs Canada posted a report by the Office of the Chief Economist, entitled Economic Impact of Canada’s Potential Participation in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. The study assesses the potential economic impact of the TPP Agreement on Canada and other members in terms of income gains and new trade and investment opportunities based on the final negotiated outcomes of the TPP Agreement, which was concluded in Atlanta, GA in October 2015. It highlights the projected economic impact that Canada faces if it chooses to be a party to the Agreement, as well as the potential economic impact if Canada opts out of the Agreement, and the 11 other TPP countries are part of the Agreement.
On May 18, 2016, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) released its report assessing the likely impact of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement that the President has entered into with Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The USITC’s report, Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement: Likely Impact on the U.S. Economy and on Specific Industry Sectors (Inv. No. TA-105-001, USITC Pub. 4607), provides an assessment of the likely impact…
On May 9, 2016, the Government of Canada announced that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Australia’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) have established a national certification program that ensures untreated Canadian sawn wood can continue to be exported to Australia. The establishment of the Canadian Untreated Sawn Wood Certification Program is an important achievement for Canada as over $40 million worth of untreated sawn wood is exported to Australia annually. The…
The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science announced that on 31 March 2016, Commonwealth, state and territory ministers with responsibility for consumer affairs met and agreed to the Commonwealth’s preferred proposal for country of origin labelling reform, supported by a Decision Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS). See the Communique from the meeting. There is still work to be done to finalise the reforms before they can officially commence. It is expected that reforms will commence from 1…
Defence Export Controls (DEC) signs DSP-83 Non Transfer and Use Certificates on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia. The DSP-83 certificate provides a non-transfer and end-use assurance for defence goods and technology exported from the U.S. to Australia. With immediate effect, DEC announced that it will accept scanned PDF copies of DSP-83 forms, with the relevant parts completed. These forms can be submitted electronically to DEC. DEC will sign the form, and return a scanned…
Defence Export Controls (DEC) announced that new export controls for supplying and publishing Defence and Strategic Goods List (DSGL) technology and for brokering DSGL goods and technologies have undergone an implementation period and came into force on 2 April 2016. Individuals and organisations can apply for permits now for the new controls. Guidance information, to help individuals and organisations learn about the new export controls, is available on: Supply of Export Controlled Technology Publication of Export…
The European Commission has announced an online public consultation that aims to gather detailed views relating to the future trade and economic relationship between the European Union (EU) and Australia and New Zealand, respectively. The results of the consultation will feed into the Impact Assessment which Commission services are currently preparing with regards to potential Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) between the European Union and Australia and New Zealand, respectively. The online consultation will close…