Generalized System of Preferences - New Zealand

17 November 2011

generalized system of preferences - new zealand

Guide

A - BASIC INFORMATION:
1) Member implementing the PTA:
New Zealand
2) Date PTA entered into force:
1 January 1972
3) Date of last renewal of the PTA (where applicable):
The last renewal was made to addduty free quota-free access for all least developed countries on 1July 2001 – at which time New Zealand became one of the first countries in the world to remove all tariffs on imports from least developed countries.
4) Date of notification to the GATT/WTO and symbol of GATT/WTO documents:
- Date: 16 May 1972
- GATT document L/3693
5) Date of expiration of PTA:
There is no expiry but countries are no longer eligible once they meet certain criteria.
Least developed countries are defined by the United Nations as those countries with a per capita Gross National Income (GNI) of no more than US$400.
Developing countries are considered by New Zealand to be those countries with a per capita GNI no greater than 70 per cent of NZ's per capita GNI.
6) Enactment of PTA, Related Legislation and Publication of PTA modifications:
(a) Tariff Act 1988 (as at 1 January 2011)

(b) The Tariff of New Zealand as set out in the 2010 Tariff Document (as amended from time to time and published in the Working Tariff Document)

(c) Customs and Excise Act 1996 (as at 9 August 2011)

(d) Customs and Excise Regulations 1996 (as at 1 September 2011)

7) Authority(ies)granting the beneficial treatment:
The New Zealand Customs Service

8) National authorities in charge of PTA management:
Ministry of Economic Development

B – REFERENCES TO INFORMATION ABOUT:
I. BENEFICIARIES
(a) Number and List of Beneficiaries:
- 91 developing countries
- 50 least developed countries
The list of beneficiaries can be found on pages x and xi of the Working Tariff Document

(b) Eligibility:
Not generally published
(c) Restrictions to Eligibility:
There is no restriction to eligibility if they meet the criteria in 5 above. However, under New Zealand's GSP policy, developing country rates of duty were frozen in 1999 and have mostly been eliminated as they have gradually been overtaken by phasing normal rates under New Zealand's unilateral tariff reduction / removal programmes.
(d) Modification to Beneficiaries List:
The legal authority to change a recipient's preferential tariff status is contained in s7A(1) of the Tariff Act 1988 where by Order in Council a country may be declared to be, or not to be, a least developed country or a less developed country for the purposes of the Act.

II. SCOPE OF PRODUCTS (IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NOTIFYING MEMBER’S CLASSIFICATION OF PRODUCTS)
(a) Number (tariff lines) and list of eligible products:

All tariff lines have duty free least developed country coverage. 463tariff lines remain eligible for less developed country preference.
(b) Ineligible products:

(c) Modification to Eligible Products List:
The legal authority to modify the eligible products is contained in s7 of the Tariff Act 1988.

On 1 January 1998 New Zealand abolished its product graduation scheme whereby products could lose their preferential status if imports under a particular tariff item from a GSP country exceeded a certain threshold.
III. PTA TREATMENT
(a)Tariff Treatment:
The Working Tariff Document

(b) Exceptions:
The Working Tariff Document

(c) Different Preferential Treatment:
The Working Tariff Document

(d) Request for Preferential Treatment:
Not generally published
IV. RULES OF ORIGIN (INCLUDING REQUISITES AND RESTRICTIONS)
Part 6 of the Customs and Excise Regulations 1996

V. PREFERENTIAL DATA
(access to the website is unrestricted).
Data relating to New Zealand's GSP scheme can also be accessed from the WTO's Database on Preferential Trade Arrangements, from here.