REGISTRATION OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1959

6.50 p.m.

The Minister for Finance (Dr Goh Keng Swee): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to move,

That this Assembly, pursuant to subsection (3) of section 5 of the Registration of Imports and Exports Ordinance (Cap. 261), resolves that the Registration of Imports and Exports (Amendment) Rules, 1959, published as Notification No. S (N.S.) 173 in the Gazette Supplement No. 38 dated 14th November, 1959, as contained in Paper S.L. (New Series) 28 of 1959, be approved.

Sir, under the existing Rule 4 (1) (i) of the Registration of Imports and Exports Rules, 1935, the Imperial Government and the Government of the State are required to declare their imports, although particulars as to the quantity or weight at c.i.f. value need not be specified on the declaration. As these proforma declarations are not used for statistical purposes, and as imports by this Government are frequent and considerable, and it would be inconvenient for them to declare every import which arrives, Rule 4 (1) (i) and Rule 14 are now amended to grant the two Governments full exemption from declaring their imports and exports, instead of the present partial exemption on imports only. Similar treatment is also being extended to Commonwealth Commissioners, including Trade Commissioners who are resident in Singapore. Opportunity is also being taken to change the names necessitated by a change in the Constitution by the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Singapore.

Sir, I beg to move.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance (Mr Low Por Tuck): I second the motion.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved,

That this Assembly, pursuant to subsection (3) of section 5 of the Registration of Imports and Exports Ordinance (Cap. 261), resolves that the Registration of Imports and Exports (Amendment) Rules, 1959, published as Notification No. S (N.S.) 173 in the Gazette Supplement No. 38 dated 14th November, 1959, as contained in Paper S.L. (New Series) 28 of 1959, be approved.