SECTION 4.

Levy of duty where standard rate and preferential rate are specified.

(1) Where in respect of any article a preferential rate of revenue duty is specified in the First Schedule, or is admissible by virtue of a notification under section 25 of the Customs Act, 1962 (52 of 1962), the duty to be levied and collected shall be at the standard rate, unless the owner of the article claims at the time of importation that it is chargeable with a preferential rate of duty, being the produce or manufacture of such preferential area as is notified under subsection (3) and the article is determined, in accordance with the rules made under subsection (2), to be such produce or manufacture.

(2) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, make rules for determining if any article is the produce or manufacture of any preferential area.

(3) For the purposes of this section and the First Schedule, preferential area means any country or territory which the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be such area.

(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (1), where the Central Government is satisfied that, in the interests of trade including promotion of exports, it is necessary to take immediate action for discontinuing the preferential rate, or increasing the preferential rate to a rate not exceeding the standard rate, or decreasing the preferential rate, in respect of an article specified in the First Schedule, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, direct an amendment of the said Schedule to be made so as to provide for such discontinuance of, or increase or decrease, as the case may be, in, the preferential rate.

(5) Every notification issued under subsection (3) or subsection (4) shall, as soon as may be after it is issued, be laid before each House of Parliament.