This order removes a duty-free concession for importing specific industrial equipment used to make sodium hydroxide (also known as caustic soda or lye).
What this does:
- Revokes (cancels) Tariff Concession Order 0516043, which previously allowed certain manufacturing plant equipment to enter Australia without paying customs duty
- The affected equipment includes: brine saturators, precipitators, clarifiers, filters, coolers, recyclers, tanks, mercury cells, and decomposers used specifically for sodium hydroxide production
Who it affects:
- Australian businesses importing equipment to manufacture sodium hydroxide
- Importers will now need to pay standard customs duties on this equipment (tariff classification 8419.40.00 under Schedule 4, Item 50)
When it takes effect:
- 27 July 2011 (the concession ceased the day before, on 26 July 2011)
Why it matters:
This increases costs for companies importing this specific chemical manufacturing equipment, likely because local manufacturing capacity now exists or the original concession conditions no longer apply.