Annex 2-B
Schedule of Australia
General notes
GENERAL NOTES
TARIFF SCHEDULE OF AUSTRALIA

1. Base Rates of Customs Duty. Except as otherwise indicated, the base rates of duty set forth in this schedule shall reflect the general rates of duty in Schedule 3 to the Australian Customs Tariff Act 1995, in effect 1 January, 2004.

2. Rounding. For the purposes of the elimination of customs duties in accordance with this note, interim staged rates shall be rounded down, at least to the nearest half a percentage point (0.5%) or, if the rate of duty is expressed in monetary units, at least to the nearest 0.01 (1 cent) of the official monetary unit of the Party.

2. Staging.  The following categories apply to the elimination of customs duties by Australia pursuant to Article 2.3 (Elimination of Customs Duties).

(a) Category “T1(AU)” – duties on goods in category T1 shall be 3 percent from the date this agreement enters into force until 31 December 2009.  From January 1 2010 duties will be zero.

(b) Category “Tx(AU)” – duties on goods in category Tx shall be 5.5 percent from the date this agreement enters into force until 31 December 2009.  From January 1 2010 the duties will be 3 percent until 31 December 2014.  From January 1 2015 the duties will be zero.

(c) Category “T2(AU)” –duties on goods in category T2 shall be 8 percent from the date this agreement enters into force until 31 December 2009.  From January 1 2010 the duties will be 3 percent until 31 December 2014.  From January 1 2015 the duties will be zero.

(d) Category “T3(AU)” – duties on goods in category T3 shall be 15.5 percent from the date this agreement enters into force until 31 December 2009.  From January 1 2010 the duties shall be 8 percent until 31 December 2014.  From January 1 2015 the duties will be zero.

(e) Category “L” – duties on goods in category L shall be removed in equal annual stages beginning from the date this agreement enters into force, and such goods shall be duty free, effective January 1 of 2010.

4. Originating goods imported into Australia shall not be subject to any special safeguard that Australia is entitled to apply under Article 5 of the Agreement on Agriculture.