Car-part duty reduced

Press, 14 June 1978, Page 11

Car-part duty reduced

PA Wellington Duty on automotive parts imported from Australia and Britain will be reduced from July 1. The Minister of Customs (Mr Wilkinson) has announced that parts will enter free of duty or at min- ; imal rates where” there is no protective requirement for locally-made parts. Where protection is required for local parts, the duty will be 20 per cent. Duty on imported parts now ranges from 3 per cent to about 55 per cent The Tariff Review Committee had proposed rates of 40 per cent in the protected sector, and 25 per cent in other cases, but, Mr Wilkinson said, the Government had decided the duty should be reduced more than this. The reductions took into account representations made by Australia and Britain without compromising the aim of the tariff restructuring. Mr Wilkinson said decisions yet to be made on the long-term development of the New Zealand automotive industry might later necessitate further adjustments.