The South African Revenue Service (SARS) is stepping up efforts to prevent importers from allegedly circumventing anti-dumping duties on replacement vehicle windscreens imported from China.
New anti-dumping duties have been introduced following an investigation by the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa (ITAC), which uncovered alleged attempts to bypass existing trade measures.
According to the investigation, some importers allegedly used tariff and country-hopping methods to avoid paying duties applicable to Chinese-made windscreens.
One of the methods identified involved shipping Chinese windscreens through Malaysia before importing them into South Africa. The route allegedly allowed the products to avoid tariffs specifically imposed on goods originating from China.
The investigation followed a complaint lodged by PG Group’s Shatterprufe, which raised concerns about the impact of the alleged practices on local manufacturers.
ITAC subsequently found that the import practices were negatively affecting South African producers and recommended that the existing anti-dumping measures be extended.
Under the new measures, anti-dumping duties on the affected Chinese replacement windscreens will range from 13% to 129%, depending on the exporter.
The move is aimed at protecting local manufacturers from unfair trade practices while ensuring that importers comply with South Africa’s customs and trade regulations.