Steel importers for the manufacturing sector have made a strong case against proposed tariffs by the International Trade Administration Commission Itac, aimed at stimulating local production of long and flat steel.
Itac proposes that duties of up to 10 be levied on certain steel products to protect South African mills against imports, mainly from China, whose over-production of cheaper steel has also been the impetus for US tariffs on Chinese steel.
The tariffs, which were first proposed in March, cover 609 tariff codes across Chapters 72, 73, 82, and 83 of the Customs and Excise Act, with a total import value of R67 billion the largest steel tariffs in Itacs history.