§ The Earl of Northeskasked Her Majesty's Government:
What view they take of the proposal of the European Union Committee on Excise Duties to reclassify computer monitors thereby permitting Customs authorities to impose higher rates of duty on them. [HL1345]
§ Lord Davies of OldhamThe customs duties charged in the European Community have evolved over time through various rounds of multilateral trade negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, now superseded by the World Trade Organisation. The information technology agreement (ITA) also represents what was negotiable within this complex multilateral framework. The ITA is promulgated in the common customs tariff of the European Communities (CCT).
When differing interpretations of the CCT arise, the European Commission takes steps to provide clarification to ensure uniform application across the Community. The European Commission is to publish a decision of the Customs Code Committee (Nomenclature Section), which advises it on these matters, in the form of a regulation on the classification of plasma monitors.
This proposal does not in fact reclassify computer monitors. It clarifies the distinction between them and other types of monitor, such as video monitors, which, within the terms of the ITA and the CCT, are classified separately from computer monitors and attract a higher rate of duty.
HM Customs and Excise together with the Department of Trade and Industry are satisfied that the proposed regulation provides a correct interpretation of the ITA and CCT. This clarification is intended to assist importers to clear their goods through Customs.