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Myanmar Getting Ready To Implement Her Updated AANZFTA Tariff Reduction Schedules

8 December 2017

Yangon, Myanmar, 08 December 2017 - Representatives from the different government agencies of Myanmar attended the Training on Transposition of AANZFTA Tariff Reduction Schedules from the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) 2012 to 2017 and the Seminar on Project to Set Up a Regional Scheme to Monitor the Utilization of AANZFTA Tariff Preferences at Inya Lake Hotel, Yangon from December 04 - 08, 2017.

The training provided the participants an overview of the HS and the requirements for implementing HS 2017 Nomenclature in national customs tariff. In her opening remarks, Director Saw Kalaya Su, from the Foreign Economic Relations Department of Myanmar's Ministry of Planning and Finance, emphasized the importance of the training in supporting the updating of the HS Nomenclature every five years based on World Customs Organization (WCO) HS Nomenclature.

When making transposition from one HS Nomenclature to another Nomenclature, we encounter many technical problems. In order to solve these problems, this training program will help you to be aware of the basic concept of transposition of commodity codes and to learn the options set out in AANZFTA TRS Transposition Guidelines, stated Director Su. The AANZFTA TRS Transposition Guidelines, adopted by the AANZFTA Committee on Trade in Goods, provides methodologies and procedures to facilitate the process of transposition of AANZFTA Tariff Reduction Schedule from HS 2012 into HS 2017.

Topics that were also discussed during the training included? tariff and trade data analysis, tariff transposition and the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) as presented by Australia, New Zealand and Myanmar.

The training was divided into nineteen sessions each focusing on a specific transposition concept and module. The training also provided an opportunity for Myanmar to share her experience with previous HS Transpositions including how consultations and information-sharing were carried out. Lessons learned focusing on the enhancement and smooth operation of the next transposition process especially in terms of cooperation and gaining trust across agencies were also presented.

Another focus of this event was a seminar held on 7-8 December 2017 to discuss the possibility to establish a Regional Scheme to Monitor the Utilization of AANZFTA Tariff Preferences. Director Su highlighted the importance of the second activity on the monitoring utilization of tariff preferences provided under FTAs since this would provide an opportunity for consultation among officials and technical experts from Australia and New Zealand on gaps and challenges Myanmar faces in collecting and processing data on the utilization of tariff preferences.

The events were hosted by the Foreign Economic Relations Department, Ministry of Planning and Finance of Myanmar in coordination with the ASEAN Secretariat with support from the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA) Economic Cooperation Support Program (AECSP).


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