Circular 23/2019/TT-BCT Provisions on Non-Application of Tariff Import Limits Sugar Originating Asean Countries Issued by Minister of Industry and Trade

Model number:	23/2019/TT-BCT		Type of document:	Circular
Issued place:	Ministry of Industry and Trade		Signed by:	Tran Tuan Anh
Date issued:	11/13/2019		Effective date:	01/01/2020
Notice day:	Updating		Publication number:	Updating
			Status:	Not yet in effect

Remove import quota of sugar originating from ASEAN countries

On November 13, 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Circular 23/2019/TT-BCT regulating the non-application of sugar import quota from ASEAN countries.

Accordingly, from January 1, 2020:

– Do not apply import tariff quotas on sugar (HS code 1701) originating from ASEAN countries in accordance with current laws.

– The amount of sugar imported from ASEAN countries is not included in the annual tariff quotas announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade under the World Trade Organization (WTO) ‘s commitments to WTO countries. “The non-application of sugar import tariff quotas is implemented as committed in the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). However, the opening of the sugar market will also bring challenges and fierce competition to Vietnam’s sugar industry. Therefore, it is hoped that the Government as well as the Ministry of Industry and Trade will have appropriate measures such as the application of trade remedies and import management in line with international commitments to ensure fair competition. reasonable protection of domestic production if there is a sudden increase of imports leading to losses to Vietnamese businesses ”- This is the opinion of Lawyer Bui Tuong Vu, Director of the LIBRARY LAW.

In addition, the import tax rate for sugar products originating from ASEAN countries complies with the Government’s regulations.

=> Circular 23/2019/TT-BCT officially takes effect from 01/01/2020.