Seychelles migration towards modernised HS Code explained |18 January 2018

 Customs agents and related stakeholders got a feel of the draft Customs Management (Tariff and Classification of Goods) Regulations, 2018  which will replace the Customs Management (Tariff and Classification of Goods) Regulations, 2014 as from March 1, 2018.

This was during a workshop held at the Tender Board Biding Room, Maison de Mahé, yesterday.

The workshop, which was one of a series to be held later including for the general public, is to migrate the process from version 2007 to 2017 of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System (HS Code) to bring it up to date to the most recent international standards.

It has come about after the Ministry of Finance, Trade and Economic Planning has reviewed its national goods classification regulations so as to be in line with international norms.

It was Paul Barrack, Customs Consultant of the Trade Division of that ministry who conducted the workshop where he explained certain amendments being introduced to the new regulations.

To mention some, there is a new one to accommodate additional legal guidelines to facilitate the classification of certain motor vehicles such as extended cabs space and cabs smart cabs; certain energy saving devices; hybrid electric vehicle; plug-in hybrid electric vehicle; electric vehicles; definition of dietary supplements; quad vehicles designed to be ridden by children; creation of additional national splits to facilitate the implementation of government policy such as extension of VAT exemption on certain specific products like baby products classifiable under heading 21.06;  homogenised preparations of fruits for infants under heading 2207; cranberry juice for infants under heading 20.09; solar water heater system under heading 94.19 and other instantaneous or storage water heaters under heading 84.19.

“The current Customs Management (Tariff and Classification of Goods) Regulations, 2014 has the codes, merchandise description and the rate applicable for that particular product which is being imported or exported. And this regulation will be replaced by the new one this year. It is based on the WCO Harmonised System,” said Mr Barrack.

He remarked the contents of the two documents are more or less the same with the only difference being in the national one there are some codes specifically for Seychelles, which are not seen in the WCO regulations. Another variance is the six digits seen in WCO document while ours has 8. The last WCO regulations were revised last year.

“We are aligning our national regulations on the last revision done by WCO in 2017,” said Mr Barrack.

With regards to the amendments done under the national explanatory notes, Mr Barrack said in the existing regulations provision has been made for a national explanation, definition or guideline for certain commodities.

“They are already included in the existing regulations, but we are now improving on them,” he said.

And to know more on these definitions or guidelines, members of the public or stakeholders are encouraged to attend future workshops which the ministry will announce soon.