Statutory Instruments
1998 No. 2973

STATISTICS OF TRADE
The Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) (Amendment) Regulations 1998

Made
7th December 1998

Laid before Parliament
8th December 1998

Coming into force
1st January 1999

The Commissioners of Customs and Excise, in exercise of the powers conferred on them by section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972(1), being the department designated(2) for the purpose of that subsection in relation to the receipt, regulation and control of statistics relating to the trading of goods between the United Kingdom and other member States of the Communities and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf, hereby make the following Regulations:

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) (Amendment) Regulations 1998 and shall come into force on 1st January 1999.

2.  In regulation 3(1) of the Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) Regulations 1992(3) for “£225,000”, in each place where it occurs, there shall be substituted “£230,000”.

3.  Regulation 4 of the Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) (Amendment) Regulations 1997(4) is hereby revoked.

Ray McAfee
Commissioner of Customs and Excise
New King’s Beam House 22 Upper Ground London SE1 9PJ
7th December 1998

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations, which come into force on 1 January 1999, make one change to the Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) Regulations 1992 (S.I. 1992/2790) (“the 1992 Regulations”).
Since 1st January 1993 the collection of statistics relating to the trading of goods between member States has been governed by Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3330/91 (OJ No. L316, 16.11.91, p.1). Article 28 of that Council Regulation makes provision for the application of statistical thresholds, known as assimilation thresholds. Traders whose annual value of trade with other member States exceeds the assimilation thresholds set for trade in goods dispatched, or for goods received, are required to provide additional statistical information in the form of supplementary declarations. Thresholds are to be set annually by the member States in accordance with Commission Regulation (EEC) No. 2256/92 (OJ No. L219, 4.8.92, p.40).
The 1992 Regulations gave effect in the United Kingdom to Council Regulation (EEC) No. 3330/91 insofar as this was necessary. These Regulations amend regulation 3(1) of the 1992 Regulations by raising the assimilation thresholds to £230,000.
The thresholds were set at £225,000 by regulation 4 of the Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) (Amendment) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997 No. 2864), which is spent and is, accordingly, revoked by regulation 3 of these Regulations.


(1)
1972 c. 68.

(2)
S.I. 1992/707.

(3)
S.I. 1992/2790; the only relevant amending instrument is S.I. 1997/2864.

(4)
S.I. 1997/2864.