In this issue : Registration of Exporters for SA

1. September 2006 Issue visit us @ www.lils.co.za In this issue : Registration of Exporters for SA / EU and SADC More customs stops Textile and Clothing Imorts from China New customs legislation challenges training sector Trilateral trade pact proposed First of the �ultras� takes to the seas Separate passengers from their luggage Indian Ocean Island acts to attract investment Media forum to debate a strategy for marketing SA Port would not be only losers in environmental lobby victory  The letter dealing with the registration of exportation to the member states of the European and the Southern Africa Development Communities (SADC) has been published on the Intra- and Internet. This letter emphasises the importance of registering by 2 October 2006.� Branch offices are NOW required to process application forms for SA / EU and SADC without proof of registration with retrospective effect from 1 December 2005 until 29 December 2006. The letters, SC-RO-02-L5 - for internal use and SC-RO-02-L4 for external stakeholders, can be accessed by clicking on the links as set out above or by using the following paths: SARS Intranet / Operations / QM System / Correspondence / Internal; and SARS Internet / Customs / Quality Management System / Correspondence. Issued on behalf of Customs Operations Unit The sheer volume of increased inbound material combined with Customs� determination to stamp out smuggling and collect the duties payable are pushing up the number of customs stops to unprecedented levels, in the view of TNT country general manager Tim Steel. �This is exacerbated by the fact that China is the largest growing source market, and the ability to get suppliers in those countries to adhere to customs requirements is challenging. On 1 September 2006 the International Trade Administration Commission (ITAC) published regulations in the Government Gazette on import restrictions on certain textiles and clothing items originating from the People�s Republic of China. ITAC further published a notice inviting comments from interested parties on the proposed criteria to be used in the allocation of quotas to importers who imported during the period 1 January 2003 to 30 June 2006. Some key points: 1 Control will be effected by way of special permits which will apply to the calendar year or part thereof specified on the permit. 2 There will be no inter-changeability of quota allocations between clothing and textiles, or between tariff headings and sub- headings within each two product classes. 3 Allocated quotas are not transferable, i.e. one importer may not transfer a quota in part or in whole to another importer. 4 As with all import permits, importers must be in possession of a valid permit before the goods are shipped. 5 Please carefully, read Restriction/Regulation No 7 which deals with shipments that arrive on or after the date on which this new quota system has come into effect. 6 The notice and regulations shall come into effect on the 28 September 2006. 7 Note that a declaration has to be completed by the quota holder. Declarations must show the physical address of the quota holder. 8 Quotas will not be re-stated. Restriction/Regulation 9 gives an example of this. If quota goods are entered,say,for home consumption and written off the permit, and then subsequently exported, no re-instatement on the permit of the quantity involved wil be allowed. 9 New entrant (Importers) will be permitted but no allocation will be made during 2006. Applications for 2007/2008 quotas, by �new entrants�, must be submitted by 1 December 2006. How these quotas will be calculated is described in Restriction/Regulation No 10. For more information visit: www.itac.org.za

2. September 2006 Issue visit us @ www.lils.co.za Significant changes in SA Revenue Service (SARS) customs legislation are testing the clearing and forwarding industry training sector � with the latest being the imminent implementation of the single administrative document (SAD 500) on October 1 this year, according to Henri Fisher, MD of Skills Development Specialists (SDS). �We have had to do some fancy, just-in-time footwork in order to align our training with the implementation of this document - as the SAD 500 replaces all traditional bills of entry.� A trilateral free trade agreement (T-FTA) between Mercosur, SACU and India is likely to be proposed during the triangular IBSA (India, Brazil and South Africa) political summit on 13 September 2006 in Brazil�. The first of a new series of giant container carriers, rated as ultra large container ships (ULCS) by AXS Alphaliner, has just been delivered to the A.P. M�ller-Maersk group. Although shipbuilders, the Odense Steel Shipyard, rates the Emma Maersk as an 11 000-TEU capacity ship, AXS has calculated a 13 500-TEU capacity. �She is actually the first ever 22-row ship with her breadth of 56.40-metres, while the largest ships afloat have an 18-row breadth of 45.60-m. �We have modelled this ship and estimate her capacity with seven tiers on deck, allowing for the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) visibility rules � and she can thus qualify to be the first ever ULCS.� A US air transport provider has revived a previous lobby to separate air travellers� luggage from passenger flights. Universal Express� CEO, Richard Altomare, believes that his luggage security plan would resolve shortfalls in the Aviation Transportation Security Act and address the costs of moving airline passengers� luggage and the inherent security problems associated with it. According to eyefortransport.com, he recommends that luggage be shipped ahead using private carrier services. This, he contends, would provide a new revenue stream for airlines, whose present losses could be turned to an estimated profit of between $5 billion and $17 billion a year, and should result in lower ticket prices for airline passengers. He added that with the luggage security crisis in America, it was imperative to change the outmoded way luggage was transported in this age of terrorism The Indian Ocean island of Mauritius has moved to open up its economy to attract foreign investment and to diversify, according to Jean-Marc Poche in Business in Africa Online. To attract investment the government has moved to slash red tape that has been a bane for foreign businessmen seeking to invest and work on the Indian Ocean Island. Senior editors from the world�s key media - BBC, CNBC Europe, CNN International, al-Jazeera International, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine among others - will meet in Johannesburg on September 20 - 21 to discuss an effective media strategy for South Africa. The two-day conference, labelled The International Media Forum, will discuss a variety of issues and will include a series of keynote speeches and workshops aimed at creating dialogue between those who shape South Africa�s image abroad and the South Africans who, by the way they communicate the events taking place inside their country and their companies, have the power to change perceptions and thus the future. A victory for environmental lobbyists seeking to prevent the proposed extension of the Cape Town container terminal would not only strike a blow for the Mother City port but for the entire province. That�s the unanimous consensus of all involved, from Sapo CEO Tau Morwe to a brace of cabinet ministers and various Transnet executives. Should you have any enquiries please contact Jenny Iyer : jenny@laserint.co.za tel.(+27) (031) 465 0577. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the Authors and not necessarily those of Laser Logistics (Pty) Ltd or the Laser Group (Pty) Ltd, unless specifically indicated. While everything possible is done to ensure the accuracy of the information in this issue, which is believed to be correct, neither Laser Logistics (Pty) Ltd nor the Laser Group (Pty) Ltd, may be held responsible for any errors. . . . Pg. 2