Zimbawe will impose 30 per cent customs duty on imported cotton fabric beginning January 1 as part of tax measures aimed at protecting local industries. This was recently announced by finance minister Patrick Chinamasa. The textile sector continues to face competition from cheap imported fabrics despite government support measures, he said.
Due to limited administrative capacity at borders to identify the various types of fabrics, importers declare imported products under tariff codes attracting lower duty rates, a newspaper in Zimbawe quoted Chinamasa as saying.
To combat this, his ministry will soon introduce a fabric specification declaration form to verify the imported fabrics, he said. The help of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority will also be taken in this initiative.
Source: www.fibre2fashion.com