We have an established track record of assisting producers from numerous industries in securing increased customs duties to obtain better tariff protections and also securing decreases in duties for importers and downstream users.
Domestic producers facing significant import competition can bring an application to the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC) for an increase in customs duty. In determining whether to increase the duty, ITAC may consider the domestic industry's employment levels and opportunities to use duties to encourage domestic manufacturing.
Importers and downstream users of input materials may also approach ITAC for duty decreases in situations where there is no longer a domestic producer of the product or if the duty is shown to be restricting job creation or retention. A reduction in duties allows downstream users of the material to be more competitive with imports of finished products and also allows them to increase employment and safeguard investment.