The Sunday News
Thupeyo Muleya, Beitbridge Bureau
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra) has started complying with the new import regulations after the government lifted all restrictions on the importation of basic commodities to boost market supplies and granted 100 percent retention of domestic foreign currency earnings.
Prior to the latest development goods were paying import duty and levies up to 40 percent. It is understood that the move by the Second Republic is expected to tackle resurgent price madness and stabilise the economy. Announcing the latest measures recently, Finance and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, said the interventions have been necessitated by the resurgence of speculative macro-economic instability in which domestic inflation is driven primarily by the skewed preference for the use of the United States dollar as a savings currency.
The recent spate of price increases linked to wild parallel market rates has led to the erosion of people’s incomes and is constraining aggregate demand for goods and services. This has piled enormous pressure on the exchange rate as the skewed preferences have continued to increase the velocity of the Zimbabwe dollar, said Professor Ncube.
The phenomenon has seen a growing US-dollar cash economy and it is estimated that a large portion of domestic transactions are now being conducted in foreign currency, he added.
Zimra’s head of Corporate Affairs, Mr Francis Chimanda said the suspension on duty will apply to selected goods effective from 12 May. These include; Cooking oil, Maize meal, Milk, Sugar, Rice, Flour, Salt, Bath soap, washing soap, Washing powder, Toothpaste and Petroleum jelly among others. He said Zimra has also published Public Notice No. 30 of 2023 communicating the above and providing a general list of the specified goods.
“The recent pronouncements in Statutory Instrument 80 of 2023 are similar to those publicized in the previous Statutory Instrument 98 of 2022, which ran its course in 2022 and extend the same concessions to both private and commercial importers,” he said.
“These measures are effective from 12 May 2023. This means that importers will not be required to pay any duty and value added tax on the specified goods.
In addition, the removal of the requirement of an import license issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade means that importers will not be required to obtain or produce an import license when importing these goods”.
Mr Chimanda said all other permits required in terms of other regulators remain applicable for any controlled goods on any controlled goods on the specified list.
He said there is no limit to the quantities that may be imported by both commercial and private importers. However, there is a need for importers to observe the administrative requirements in terms of how these goods should be cleared at both private and commercial levels.
“Goods should be cleared on a bill of entry and commercial importers are required to engage the services of a registered customs clearing agent to do the clearance on their behalf unless they are approved as a declarant with a currently licensed in-house customs clearing facility,” said Mr Chimanda.
He added that private importers, goods not exceeding a maximum value of USD1,000.00 and these may be cleared on a private declaration on declaration on Form 47 for accompanied baggage.
“Privately imported goods with a value exceed USD1,000.00 should be cleared on a bill of entry and the importer is required to engage the services of a duly registered and licenced clearing agent,” said Mr Chimanda.
“It should be noted once again that the concession suspends the payment of duty and VAT and the production of an import licence from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
“All other regulatory permits and controls enforced by other regulators remain applicable and should be complied with. The importer should therefore check and confirm on the requirements for controlled goods to avoid violations that may lead to seizures and penalties”.
Below is the detailed list complete list of commodities that qualify for the dispensation.
Disaccharide- free milk prepared for infants in powder form of a fat content by weight not exceeding 1.5%. Powder milk pre-packed in immediate packings for retail sale of a content less than 25 kg . Other powdered milk. Other disaccharide-free milk, and milk specially prepared for infants not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter. Other disaccharide-free milk, and milk specially prepared for infants. Rice in the husk (paddy or rough) in bulk, in immediate packing of 25Kg or more. Rice in the husk (paddy or rough), pre-packed in immediate packing’s of less than 25Kg for retail sale. Husked brown rice in bulk, in immediate packing of 25Kg or more. Husked brown rice , pre-packed in immediate packings of less than 25Kg for retail sale. semi-milled or wholly milled rice, in bulk, in immediate packing of 25Kg or more. Semi-milled or wholly milled rice , pre-packed in immediate packings of less than 25Kg for retail sale). Broken rice in bulk, in immediate packing of 25Kg or more . Broken rice pre-packed in immediate packings of less than 25Kg for retail sale. Wheat flour in bulk, in packings of 50Kg or more. Wheat flour pre-packed in immediate packings for retail sale less than 50Kg. Maize (corn) flour In bulk, in packings of 50Kg or more. Maize (corn) flour in immediate packing of a content less than 5Kg. Other maize (corn) flour. Other cereal flours, in bulk, in packings of 50 Kg or more. Other cereal flours in immediate packing of a content less than 5Kg. Other cereal flours. Maize meal. Flour of potatoes. Flour of the dried leguminous vegetables of heading. Flour of sago or of roots or tubers of heading. Flour of the products. Soya-bean cooking oil. Groundnut cooking oil. Olive cooking oil. Olive cooking oil whether or not refined but not chemically modified. Palm cooking oil. Sunflower and safflower seed cooking oil. Cotton seed cooking oil. Coconut cooking oil. Palm kennel or babassu cooking oil. Maize cooking oil. Sesame cooking oil. Vegetable cooking oil. Other cane sugar. Other refined sugar. Salt in bulk, in immediate packing of 50Kg or more. Salt , pre-packed in immediate packing of a content less than 5Kg. Other salt, prepacked. Petroleum jelly. Toothpaste. Bath soap. Laundry bar. Washing powder.
