The Resolution 180-2006 was approved by the Central American Tariff and Customs Council, in San Jose, Costa Rica on November 9, 2006. The aforementioned Resolution establishes the amendments to the Central American Tariff Schedule which incorporates into the Central American Tariff System (SAC [for its acronym in Spanish]) the results of the Fourth Amendment to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) of Tariff Nomenclature and the Customs Duties which entered into force as of January 1, 2007.

The adoption of the Fourth Amendment to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) of Tariff Nomenclature and the Import Customs Duties affects the process to compare the commodity trade databases of the Central American countries due to the changes on classification criterion regarding the SAC third amendment (SA 2002).

In this regard, the states record the trade corresponding to years previous 2007, in accordance with the classification of SAC Third Amendment (SA 2002), whilst in 2007, they record it based on the classification of SAC Fourth Amendment (SA 2007). The user when consulting at the level of tariff item (at maximum level of detail), for a series of years including 2007, must consider that statistics will be displayed in both systems (SA-2002 for the years before 2007 and in SA-2007 for the last year).

When in the Third Amendment (SA-2002) is a tariff change regarding to the Fourth Amendment (SA 2007), we recommend the user to consult previously the tariff correlation tables of the Central American Tariff System.

So that, he may determine if a tariff item in accordance with the Third Amendment has undergone a tariff opening in the Fourth Amendment; it means that it has been opened to more than one tariff item, annulled, changed to other tariff item or closed.

Likewise, there are some isolated cases that register tariff codes of versions prior the Third Amendment, due to that databases of the countries received by SIECA do not have direct correspondence among the different amendments of SAC; so that, when changing the bases to a new amendment and due to there does not exist said correspondence, it is probable that this tariff item has been recorded on its original amendment.

SIECA is working in the conversion of trade databases of all series (1994-2007) to the Tariff nomenclature SA-2007, in a manner that databases of the Central American Trade Statistics System (SEC) are standardized to a same version for all countries.

We would appreciate all users of the “Central American Trade Statistics System” to take into account aforesaid observations.