Non-Tariff Barriers :: Complaints

Active complaints

Showing items 61 to 80 of 81

Complaint number	NTB Type Category 1. Government participation in trade & restrictive practices tolerated by governments 1.1. Export subsidies 1.2. Government monopoly in export/import 1.3. State subsidies, procurement, trading, state ownership 1.4. Preference given to domestic bidders/suppliers 1.5. Requirement for counter trade 1.6. Domestic assistance programmes for companies 1.7. Discriminatory or flawed government procurement policies 1.8. Import bans 1.9. Determination of eligibility of an exporting country by the importing country 1.10. Determination of eligibility of an exporting establishment (firm, company) by the importing country 1.11. Occupational safety and health regulation 1.12. Multiplicity and Controls of Foreign exchange market 1.13. "Buy national" policy 1.14. Lack of coordination between government institutions 1.15. Other Category 2. Customs and administrative entry procedures 2.1. Government imposing antidumping duties 2.2. Arbitrary customs classification 2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin 2.4. Import licensing 2.5. Decreed customs surcharges 2.6. Additional taxes and other charges 2.7. International taxes and charges levied on imports and other tariff measures 2.8. Lengthy and costly customs clearance procedures 2.9. Issues related to transit fees 2.10. Inadequate or unreasonable customs procedures and charges 2.11. Lack of control in Customs infrastructure 2.12. Lack of capacity of Customs officers 2.13. Issues related to Pre-Shipment Inspections 2.14. Other Category 3. Technical barriers to trade (TBT) Category 4. Sanitary & phyto-sanitary (SPS) measures Category 5. Specific limitations 5.1. Quantitative restrictions 5.2. Exchange controls 5.3. Export taxes 5.4. Quotas 5.5. Import licensing requirements 5.6. Proportion restrictions of foreign to domestic goods (local content requirement) 5.7. Minimum import price limits 5.8. Embargoes 5.9. Non-automatic licensing 5.10. Prohibitions 5.11. Quantitative safeguard measures 5.12. Export restraint arrangements 5.13. Other quantity control measures 5.14. Restrictive licenses 5.15. Other Category 6. Charges on imports 6.1. Prior import deposits and subsidies 6.2. Administrative fees 6.3. Special supplementary duties 6.4. Import credit discriminations 6.5. Variable levies 6.6. Border taxes 6.7. Other Category 7. Other procedural problems 7.1. Arbitrariness 7.2. Discrimination 7.3. Corruption 7.4. Costly procedures 7.5. Lengthy procedures 7.6. Lack of information on procedures (or changes thereof) 7.7. Complex variety of documentation required 7.8. Consular and Immigration Issues 7.9. Inadequate trade related infrastructure 7.10. Other Category 8. Transport, Clearing and Forwarding 8.1. Government Policy and regulations 8.2. Administrative (Border Operating Hours, delays at border posts, etc.) 8.3. Immigration requirements (Visa, travel permit) 8.4. Transport related corruption 8.5. Infrastructure (Air, Port, Rail, Road, Border Posts,) 8.6. Vehicle standards 8.7. Costly Road user charges /fees 8.8. Issues related to transit Other Policy or Regulatory NTB Not a policy or regulatory NTB Check allUncheck all	Date of incident	Location COMESA Burundi Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Kenya Libya Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles Somalia Sudan Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe EAC Burundi Kenya Rwanda South Sudan Tanzania Uganda SADC Angola Botswana Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe COMESA EAC SADC	Reporting country or region COMESA Burundi Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Egypt Eritrea Eswatini Ethiopia Kenya Libya Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Rwanda Seychelles Somalia Sudan Tunisia Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe EAC Burundi Kenya Rwanda South Sudan Tanzania Uganda SADC Angola Botswana Comoros Democratic Republic of the Congo Eswatini Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Seychelles South Africa Tanzania Zambia Zimbabwe COMESA EAC SADC	Status New Complaint registered with REC In process Resolved Non-actionable	Actions
NTB-001-030	2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin	2021-08-17	South Africa: SARS Customs	Mauritius	New	View
Complaint:	On 6 September 2021, the SADC Business Council (SADC BC) convened an online Non Tariff Barrier Workshop with the private sector in Mauritius. In the meeting, participants indicated challenges with variances in alignment of HS codes between Mauritius and South Africa(RSA). 1. …For exports from Mauritius to RSA, where a SADC is applicable, an exporter can insert 10 HS CODES on one SADC certificate. This is because the SADC certificate has now become electronic while before it was manual. 2. When it was manual, if someone had a nice handwriting, the person could insert more than 10 HS CODES as long as it legible. 3. When importing from RSA, Mauritian importers receive SADC certificates with 1 HS CODE only. Meaning RSA issues SADC certificates with ONE Line HS code only. 4. Thus if a Mauritian exporter is sending 10 different items to RSA and SADC is applicable, only one SADC certificate will be issued by Mauritian Revenue Authourity CUSTOMS. 5. On the other hand, if a SOUTH AFRICAN exporter sends only 3 different items to Mauritius, and of course SADC is applicable, SARS will issue THREE sadc certificates. 6. IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT: SADC certificates are payable at both ends. Meaning a local broker will charge an exporter when issuing a SADC certificate and SARS will charge a SOUTH AFRICAN exporter when issuing on their side. If a Mauritian exporter has 18 ITEMS to be exported out of Mauritius and a SADC certificate is applicable, he/she will have to have TWO SADC certificates only WHILE on the other hand, if a Mauritian imports 18 ITEMS from RSA, he/she will have 18 SADC certificates with each certificate obtained at a cost which represents a huge amount for the one who pays for these certificates.
Progress:	On 11 october 2021, Mauritus Focal Point reported that: HS Codes are harmonized at 6 digit level internationally. However, at national level, as from 7th digit onwards, each Customs administration under the SADC are using their nationally-defined HS Codes.With respect to paragraph 6, it is to be noted that the SADC Certificate of Origin are processed electronically for multiple items (up to 10 items per certificate) and are issued by the MRA Customs Department in hard copy, free of charge.
NTB-001-026	8.2. Administrative (Border Operating Hours, delays at border posts, etc.)	2021-08-18	Zimbabwe: Beitbridge	South Africa	New	View
Complaint:	There has been noticeable decrease in the volume of traffic crossing the Beitbridge border on the Zimbabwean side of the border for a few months now. On a normal working day +/- 1 500 trucks can cross the North South Corridor Border. The crossing entails Customs releases with the verification of other Government agencies to test and verify safety and security of the goods (Consignment). However, in the last few months, the number has reduced to a maximum of +/- 400 trucks crossing the North South corridor. The drop in the movement of cargo is a combination of many factors and cannot be blamed solely on the hard infrastructure layout. An alignment with clear roles, responsibility, risk management profile , screening and removing of old outdated manual processes is required. The challenge emanates from lack of harmonisation by enforcement Government agencies operating at the border which creates a huge bottleneck with minimal peace of mind, i.e SAPS on the South African side, Zimbabwe with its multiple Other Government Agencies involvement and linkage to a Private security company controlling the flow of cargo movement.
NTB-001-028	2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin	2021-09-07	South Africa: SARS	Mauritius	New	View
Complaint:	On 6 September 2021, the SADC Business Council convened an online Non Tariff Barrier Workshop with the private sector in Mauritius. In the meeting, participants indicated challenges in the application for SADC for export to South Africa. Mauritian exporters need to make a fresh application to customs each and every time they export to South Africa even if the manufacturing process remains the same and same materials are used. They need to resubmit all documents (raw material import documents, BOE, Stock movement statement etc) at each shipment. This is time consuming and complicates export procedures. It also put exporters at risk if they don’t get the certificate or it is delayed and the goods have already been produced. Mauritian exporters request the region's policy makers to develop a longer certificate of origin that can be used repeatedly for similar shipments. And may be a yearly review/assessment by Customs for renewal
NTB-001-029	2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin	2021-09-07	South Africa: South Africa Revenue Services ( SARS)	Mauritius	New	View
Complaint:	On 6 September 2021, the SADC Business Council convened an online Non Tariff Barrier Workshop with the private sector in Mauritius. In the meeting, participants indicated challenges in the application for SADC for export to South Africa. Mauritian exporters need to make a fresh application to customs each and every time they export to South Africa even if the manufacturing process remains the same and same materials are used. They need to resubmit all documents (raw material import documents, BOE, Stock movement statement etc) at each shipment. This is time consuming and complicates export procedures. It also put exporters at risk if they don’t get the certificate or it is delayed and the goods have already been produced. Mauritian exporters request the region's policy makers to develop a longer certificate of origin that can be used repeatedly for similar shipments. And may be a yearly review/assessment by Customs for renewal
NTB-001-038	6.5. Variable levies	2021-10-10	Tanzania: Tanzania Revenue Authority	Kenya	New	View
Complaint:	Tanzania is charging FULL CET, RDL among other levies on Kenyan wholly produced cement despite the Verification Report recommending that products qualify should be accorded preferential treatment Additionally, despite URT commitment in the Bilateral and SCTIFI that URT grants preferential treatment to wholly produced cement as required by the EAC rules of Origin, URT is still charging duties of 35%. This is despite Tanzania not being under any stay of application. Kenya urges Tanzania to accord preferential treatment to Kenya wholly produced cement as per the verification findings and recommendation and URT commitment on facilitation of trade.
NTB-001-040	2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin	2021-10-14	Tanzania: URT TRA	Kenya	In process	View
Complaint:	Tanzania denial of preferential market access for Apple Juice and Strawberry manufactured in Kenya while citing reasons that the products are not originating from Kenya. URT delayed the shipment instead of facilitating clearance as is required by the protocal and the EAC Rules of Origin then follow the process of reporting the matter to the secretariat for action/guidance.
Progress:	On 02May 2022, URT Focal Point reported that: Based with conclusion from Verification report done from 15-27 July 2019, concluded that, Juices manufactured using fruit concentrated sourced locally qualify for preferential treatment under Rule 4 (1) (a). On juices manufactured using non originating concentrate the team had divergent views on how to calculate the weight of non originating material (concentrate) while considering the provision of Rule 6(1)(a). I suggest our officers (Tanzania Revenue Authority) based in Nairobi to visit the industry to verify and advise accordingly
NTB-001-045		2021-11-22	Kenya: Poultry products from Uganda have been banned from entering the Kenyan market.		New	View
Complaint:	The government of Kenya without giving any reason arbitrarily banned all poultry products from Uganda from accessing the Kenyan market. It is not clear when the ban will end or if it will end. My clients have lost and continue to lose a lot of money thanks to this arbitrary and protectionist measure by the government of Kenya going against all the principles of the International Trade especially Kenya's obligations as a part of the East African Community Customs Union.
NTB-001-047	8.8. Issues related to transit	2021-12-01	Kenya: Mombasa sea port		New	View
Complaint:	On 4th December Juba Trades Union reported challenges in clearing their consignment at Mombasa Port due to new regulations, which is not clear to them at the time they getting their goods for the holiday season, the complain of challenges with the new introduce system including the payment which is not clearly justified or oriented to the stakeholders, clearing process at Mombasa come to stop and goods stop flowing to Nimule border of South Sudan, South Sudan National Chamber of Commerce reported the concern to the Ministry of Trade and Industry indicating the impact of the measure on the market prices and lack of goods if no action is taken considering its a holiday season. traders are losing by been charge demurrages at port and arrival of the goods after the season. The Ministry of trade took action by canceling the Certificate of Destination to allow the flow of goods to the county, However the action was not honored by the RSS Customs office in Mombasa, reported by Kenya International Freight & Warehousing Association (KIFWA), National Chamber did meet with the RSS Minister of Finance to look at the matter and he promise to communicate to the Revenue Authority since he is not aware of the new regulation and the charges imposed. With the mounting pressure from the stakeholders National Revenue Authority send a letter to Kenya Revenue Authority and Kenya Port Authority to support the flow of goods to South Sudan unrestricted and the Minister of trade order is to be honored as per NRA letter, lastly on 21st December the official at Customs RSS in Mombasa started releasing the cargo to RSS with only $50 Charges not those mention on the Certificate of Destination Chagres below:- 1- 40ft Container $400 2- 20ft Container $365 3- Vehicle 4x4 $365 4- Regular Vehicle $300 5- All UN Consignment $365 6- Loose cargo $250 The main challenge traders have face is lack of coordination between different institutions and the partner states when introducing new regulations or policies, this current measure is not official resolved by Customs Division of NRA. we hope Kenya and South Sudan should address it to assure its traders they are on regional integration and the free movement of goods and people are a true. Engagement of stakeholders is a key in success of any measure introduce by the government
NTB-001-044	1.15. Other	2021-12-03	Uganda: Malaba	Kenya	New	View
Complaint:	Uganda Revenue Authority has introduced a mandatory requirement for import certificate for export and transit cargo to DRC and South Sudan. This requirement is causing delays to transit cargo to Congo and Sudan and comes with an extra cost to the customers since they have to pay customs agents to secure the certificates on their behalf. This negatively affects export business.
NTB-001-046	8.8. Issues related to transit	2021-12-03	Uganda: Malaba		New	View
Complaint:	On 3rd December Traders reported that URA enforce regulation on all transit cargo to South Sudan and DRC, where all consignment are to pay a fee of $150 to $214 depend on the type of cargo, and those charges are collected by private company "Sunco Ltd." its said to be a contract between South Sudan government and K-Polygone SAS. then K-Polygone contracted Sunco Ltd. When the issue was raise to the Ministry of Trade by the National Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture. at the time goods have stop flowing to Nimule border of South Sudan, Then Minister of trade issue ministerial order suspending the contract between its ministry and K-Polygone to allow smooth follow of goods to RSS, Upton date traders are still complaining the charges at Malaba border of Uganda still on going and the matter is not resolve.
NTB-001-061	2.6. Additional taxes and other charges Policy/Regulatory	2021-12-28		Uganda	New	View
Complaint:	Republic of South Sudan is imposing a digital border security Control Tag of 100 USD and a control fee of 30 USD at every entry or exit.
NTB-001-066		2022-01-01	Mozambique: Delegação Aduaneira de Ressano Garcia (Road)	Mozambique	New	View
Complaint:	Introduction by Autoridade Tributária de Moçambique of a SINGLE ENTRY Temporary Import Permit (TIP) at a cost of MZN700, which is currently processed manually for the majority of vehicles at Ressano Garcia's KM4 facility. The costs are prohibitive for companies moving transit cargo from South Africa to the Port of Maputo, with 15 loads per week per vehicle a common achievement. In addition, the delays experienced by the manual processing of the TIP document adds significant cost on account of the waiting time that drivers are subjected to. The Port of Maputo has collaborated with Customs in Mozambique to collect electronic payments for the TIPs, but so far only 10 companies have taken up the use of the facility. Even those companies registered on the Port's electronic system are not guaranteed speedy processing, and delays are still experienced by drivers as they still have to queue to collect the TIP document. Electronic payments should take precedent over manual payments, but in reality this is not the case. It is common knowledge that a R50 bribe will speed up the processing of the TIP document. The SADC Protocol on Trade is clear in its reference to the removal of tariffs and non tariff barriers. At this point, the TIP cost to one company moving 180 trucks per month, is in excess of R1,4million ZAR or USD88,000. The manual processing compromises the integrity of the system and the costs directly impact the competitiveness of the trade route for imports and transit imports into Mozambique. With the push towards the harmonization of regulations within the SADC and TRIPARTITE region, the TIP process should be harmonized with that of South Africa which has a multiple entry TIP valid for 6 months and is processed at no cost to the user.
NTB-001-048	3. Technical barriers to trade (TBT) B31: Labelling requirements	2022-01-03	Tanzania: Standards Authority	South Africa	New	View
Complaint:	Vague Labelling requirement "Statutory Warning" Clause 12 (k), rejection of the UK Chief Medical Warning which is accepted in other African countries such as Uganda, Kenya without any objection in addition to their requirement.
Progress:	The stakeholder consultative meeting organized by the SADC Business Council which was attended by the concerned parties from South Africa and Tanzania and SADC Secretariat on 7 march 2022, agreed that the UK Chief Medical Officers Guidelines labelling should be retained (The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend adult do not regularly drink more than 14 units per week) provided that the Wine producer affixes an additional sticker which covers all missing information on the product package. The additional sticker (label) should be legibly and indelibly marked. The additional sticker should be submitted to the Tanzania Bureau of Standards for approval accompanied by the declaration letter from the Manufacturer stating that additional label originating from them and products imported in Tanzania will be labelled as such.
NTB-001-050	8.8. Issues related to transit	2022-02-14	Tanzania: Tunduma	Zambia	New	View
Complaint:	There is a disruption in the flow of trade/transit at Nakonde/Tunduma border post due to a protest by transporters in Tanzania who are not moving cargo across the border. This has affected the movement of goods both into Zambia and Tanzania and has resulted in increased congestion on both sides of the border. Considering the important role the Nakonde/Tunduma border post plays along the transport corridor, any further delays resulting from the protests will significantly disadvantage all stakeholders within the region in terms of revenue and costs. This will ultimately have a negative effect on the consumer welfare in the countries and the region at large. It is therefore imperative that the present impasse is resolved as a matter of urgency.
NTB-001-060	1.8. Import bans Policy/Regulatory	2022-02-16		Uganda	New	View
Complaint:	Prohibition of Sale of alcohol packed in 200ml containers and confiscation of products by CID and Local government Authorities.This is affecting only imported beverages.No Communication has been received on change of regulatory framework governing packaging of alcoholic drinks.
NTB-001-058	2.3. Issues related to the rules of origin	2022-03-12	Madagascar: Egypt Revenue Authority	Egypt	New	View
Complaint:	Our Egyptian customs reject to apply the COMESA certificate of origin attached because the signature is different. We request COMESA to check the attached received from the shipper and inform us how we can handle this matter.
NTB-001-062	3. Technical barriers to trade (TBT) B31: Labelling requirements	2022-03-22	South Africa: Beit Bridge	Zimbabwe	New	View
Complaint:	Our Company is experiencing discretional acceptance of labelling of Arenel sweets by Port Health South Africa. We export jelly sweets among other products to the Republic of South Africa and our packaging has a sticker written “Jelly Babies” and does not state the word “Sweets”. The majority of sweets sold in the importing country (RSA) have similar packaging. On the 22nd of March 2022 our truck was stopped by Port Health South Africa at Beitbridge Border Post and the officials demanded that our truck return to Zimbabwe with the full load because the product labelling does not conform to the importing country`s labelling requirements. It seems there is no uniformity in the Port Health officials at Beit Bridge Border Posts are accepting labelling requirements for sweets entering RSA.
NTB-001-063	8.2. Administrative (Border Operating Hours, delays at border posts, etc.)	2022-03-24	Zambia: Kasumbalesa	Zimbabwe	New	View
Complaint:	There is slow Clearance by border agencies ( Zambia Customs) causing truck delays. Trucks following a queue 34km long at morning of 24 March 2022 .
NTB-001-064	8.5. Infrastructure (Air, Port, Rail, Road, Border Posts,)	2022-03-24	Zambia: Mokambo Border to Mfulira Road	Zimbabwe	New	View
Complaint:	The Mokambo Border to Mfulira road has become impassable with trucks getting stuck in the mud and being damaged as a result of the poor road condition
NTB-001-065	5.3. Export taxes	2022-04-01	Botswana: Ministry of Finance	South Africa	New	View
Complaint:	Botswana government is about to introduce the Tax Stamps on all imported products and that would affect the South African Wine Industry. The Tax Stamp imposition has been confirmed by the Botswana Minister of Finance and they have appointed the Service Provide that would conduct a Research.

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