RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE WT/BOP/N/6
17January 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-0172)
Committee onBalance-of-Payments Restrictions Original: English
NOTIFICATION UNDER PARAGRAPH 9OFTHE UNDERSTANDING ON
THE BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS PROVISIONS OFTHE
GENERAL AGREEMENT ONTARIFFS AND TRADE 1994
Poland -Lowering oftheImport Surcharge1
Thefollowing communication, dated 10January 1996, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofPoland.
__________________
With reference to,andintheimplementation ofthecommitment made onbehalf ofthe
Government ofPoland, asreflected intheReport ontheConsultation under Article XII:4(b) withthe
Republic ofPoland, heldon29and30June1995 (BOP/R/228), theGovernment ofPoland wishes
tonotify thefollowing:
Theimport surcharge, established byPoland inDecember 1992under thebalance-of-payments
provisions ofArticle XIIoftheGeneral Agreement onTariffs andTrade, hasbeenlowered from
5percentto3percent,effective asof1January 1996, andhasbeeninapplication atthislevelsince
thatdate.2
Thesurcharge isnolonger applied tomost categories ofmedical equipment falling under
HScodes 8419,8421,8543,9010,9018,9019,9021,9022 and9027 specified indetail intheOrdinance
oftheMinister ofFinance of21November 1995(Official Gazette No.61,item685). Thisexemption,
granted topublic health service utilities which benefit fromimport taxexemptions, hasbeenmotivated
bytheessential nature ofsuchproducts, inconformity withtheprovisions ofparagraph 4ofthe
UnderstandingontheBalance-of-PaymentsProvisionsoftheGATT1994.Othertermsoftheapplication
ofthesurcharge, including inparticular itscoverage inrespect ofproducts andsources ofimportation,
haveremained unchanged.
1Thenotifications ontheintroduction andextension ofthesurcharge arecontained inGATT document L/7461
andAdd.1.
2ThesurchargewassubjecttoconsultationintheCommitteeonBalance-of-PaymentsRestrictions(BOP/R/206,
Corr.1, BOP/R/216 andBOP/R/228).