Free Trade Zones Bill

Bill No. 29/1966

Read the first time on 17th August 1966.
An Act to provide for the establishment of free trade zones in Singapore and for matters incidental thereto.
Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title and commencement
1.—(1)  This Act may be cited as the Free Trade Zones Act, 1966, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.
(2)  The Minister may appoint different dates for the coming into operation of different provisions of this Act.
Application of Customs Ordinance, 1960
2.  Sections 33 to 35, section 83, sections 89 to 99, section 101 and sections 103 to 113 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960 (Ord. 44 of 1960), shall apply to any free trade zone declared to be a free trade zone under this Act.
Interpretation
3.  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“Authority” means any statutory body or department of the Government or company which has been appointed under the provisions of subsection (2) of section 4 of this Act to administer, maintain and operate any free trade zone which has been so declared under the provisions of subsection (1) of the said section;
“Committee” means the Free Trade Zone Advisory Committee appointed under the provisions of section 5 of this Act;
“Comptroller” means the Comptroller of Customs and Excise appointed under the provisions of subsection (1) of section 4 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960 (Ord. 44 of 1960);
“customs duty” means any import duty or excise tax imposed by or under the Customs Ordinance, 1960;
“customs territory” means Singapore and the territorial waters thereof but excluding any free trade zone;
“dutiable goods” means any goods subject to the payment of customs duty on entry into customs territory or manufactured in Singapore including any free trade zone and on which customs duty has not been paid and includes goods manufactured in a free trade zone from materials of a class dutiable on entry into customs territory for consumption within the customs territory;
“free trade zone” means any area declared to be a free trade zone under subsection (1) of section 4 of this Act;
“goods” includes animals, birds, fish, plants and all kinds of movable property;
“manufacture”, with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means the process of converting materials into a new product or article, whether or not by power-operated machinery, whereby a change in tariff classification has been effected:
Provided that the Comptroller may, in his absolute discretion, determine that the result of any manufacture is not a new product or article and a change in tariff classification has not been effected;
“officer of customs” means —
(a)the Comptroller;
(b)the Deputy Comptroller and any Assistant Comptroller of Customs and Excise appointed under the provisions of subsection (1) of section 4 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960 (Ord. 44 of 1960);
(c)any Senior Superintendent, Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of Customs and Excise appointed under the provisions of subsection (4) of section 4 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960;
(d)any Chief Customs Officer, Senior Customs Officer or Customs Officer appointed under the provisions of section 5 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960; and
(e)any police officer;
“proper officer of customs” means any officer of customs acting in the fulfilment of his duties under the Customs Ordinance, 1960, whether such duties are assigned to him specially or generally or expressly or by implication;
“senior officer of customs” means —
(a)the Comptroller;
(b)the Deputy Comptroller and any Assistant Comptroller of Customs and Excise appointed under the provisions of subsection (1) of section 4 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960 (Ord. 44 of 1960);
(c)any Senior Superintendent, Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent of Customs and Excise appointed under the provisions of subsection (4) of section 4 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960;
(d)any officer of customs vested with the powers of a senior officer of customs under the provisions of subsection (5) of section 4 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960; and
(e)any police officer having the powers of a senior officer of customs by virtue of the provisions of section 8 of the Customs Ordinance, 1960;
“value”, in relation to imported goods, means the price which an importer would give for the goods on a purchase in the open market if the goods were delivered to him at the place of payment of customs duty and if freight, insurance, commission and all other costs, charges and expenses (except any customs duties and wharf handling, storage, removal, mechanical equipment and other like charges incurred in a free trade zone) incidental to the purchase and delivery at such place had been paid.
Declaration of free trade zones and appointment of authority
4.—(1)  The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, declare any area in Singapore to be a free trade zone and every such notification shall define the limits of such free trade zone.
(2)  The Minister may appoint any statutory body or department of the Government or company as the Authority to administer, maintain and operate any free trade zone which has been so declared under subsection (1) of this section.
Appointment of Free Trade Zone Advisory Committee
5.  The Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint a Free Trade Zone Advisory Committee to advise him on all matters connected with free trade zones.