Value Added Tax Act 1994 Schedule 5A

Goods eligible to be fiscally warehoused

Schedule 5A defines the specific categories of goods, identified by customs tariff codes, that qualify for storage in a fiscal warehouse, allowing VAT on those goods to be suspended while they remain warehoused.

• Eligible goods fall into four broad groups: base and precious metals (such as tin, copper, zinc, nickel, aluminium, lead, indium, silver and platinum-group metals), agricultural commodities (cereals, oil seeds, nuts, olives, potatoes, coffee, tea, cocoa beans, raw sugar, wool and vegetable oils and fats), rubber in primary or sheet form, and bulk chemicals and mineral oils.
• Each category is tied to specific customs tariff codes under the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018, ensuring only goods matching those codes qualify for fiscal warehousing.
• Some entries carry restrictions — for example, under code 1006 only unprocessed rice qualifies, and vegetable oils and fats must not be chemically modified — so the tariff code alone does not always confirm eligibility.
• While goods remain in a fiscal warehouse, supplies and acquisitions of those goods can be relieved from VAT; the tax becomes due only when the goods are removed from warehousing arrangements.