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The Government has proposed to make legislative amendments to simplify the registration requirement for rough diamond traders and reduce the fees payable for the registration and issue of licences under the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) in Hong Kong, a spokesman for the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau said today (March 10).
The Kimberley Process (KP) is a negotiating forum originating from discussions in the United Nations General Assembly regarding rebel activities in some parts of Africa. It seeks to stop trade in conflict diamonds from fuelling armed conflicts, activities of rebel movements and illicit proliferation of armament. The KPCS for rough diamonds was launched on January 1, 2003.
The certification scheme in Hong Kong comprises a registration system for rough diamond traders and a certification system for the import and export of rough diamonds.
The Government has reviewed the implementation of the KPCS in Hong Kong to identify areas for further facilitation of the trade while maintaining the integrity of the control system.
At present, any person who carries on a business of "importing, exporting, buying, selling or carrying" of rough diamonds is required to register as a registered rough diamond trader with the Director-General of Trade and Industry.
"We have reviewed the registration requirement on the "carrying" of rough diamonds by an "owner of a vessel, aircraft or vehicle" as defined in the Import and Export Ordinance. We consider that the obligations imposed upon an owner under the Ordinance should suffice for the effective monitoring of the import and export of rough diamonds into and out of Hong Kong carried by an owner for the purpose of the KP.
"There is no overriding need for a trader registration requirement on an owner who is also a carrier. We propose to lift this requirement which should relieve the owner from incurring compliance costs," the spokesman said.
The current registration and renewal fees for rough diamond traders and for issue of KP Import and Export Licences were first introduced in 2003. The Government has recently conducted a costing review on the above fees. Based on the costing results, the Government will reduce all the above fees to their full cost recovery level.
"The new arrangements have been announced through trade circular and the web portal of the Trade and Industry Department (TID). The same announcement will be made when the legislative amendments come into effect. Details of the arrangements are available at the TID's website at http://www.tid.gov.hk," the spokesman added.
The Import and Export (General)(Amendment) Regulation 2006 and Import and Export (Fees)(Amendment) Regulation 2006 were gazetted today (March 10) and will be tabled in the Legislative Council on Wednesday (March 15). Subject to the approval of the Legislative Council, the regulations will come into effect on that day.
Ends/Friday, March 10, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:30
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