Customs and Excise (General) (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (No. 129)
Projects approved for duty rebates before 1 December 2020 keep those rebates for the life of the project — a saving clause for approved projects importing plant temporarily or building under sections 140 and 141.
Two rebates in the Customs and Excise (General) Regulations, 2001 get the same proviso added. Section 140 covers duty rebate on goods imported temporarily for an approved project; section 141 covers rebate on goods incorporated into the construction of approved projects.
In both cases, any project approved to benefit under the section before 1 December 2020 continues to benefit from the rebate for the duration of the life of the project.
That resolves a live question for long-running projects: approval predating the December 2020 cut-off is not disturbed by later changes, and the rebate runs to project completion rather than expiring on a fixed date. The instrument says nothing about projects approved on or after 1 December 2020, so their position is unchanged by this amendment.
What changed
- Section 140 gains a proviso: projects approved before 1 December 2020 keep the temporary-import rebate for the life of the project
- Section 141 gains the same proviso for goods incorporated in the construction of approved projects
Who this affects
- holders of project approvals granted before 1 December 2020
- contractors importing plant and equipment for approved projects
- developers of approved construction projects
- clearing agents handling rebate entries under sections 140 and 141
Plain-language summary — not legal advice. Always read the full instrument.