Hagskýrslur um utanríkisverslun - 1990, Page 6

Preface
The publication External trade 1988 shows sub-
stantial changes from previous issues. These are partly
the result of changes in the extemal trade statistics
themselves as of January 1988. These changes were
mainly threefold: Firstly, a new customs tariff based on
the Harmonized System entered into force. Secondly,
new import and export declarations were introduced,
designed partly in accordance with a new scheme of
harmonized data registration by customs authorities,
partly to accommodate changes made necessary by the
introduction of the single administrative document,
SAD. Thirdly, at the same time customs authorities
started to register import declarations which the Statis-
tical Bureau had done previously. Initially, the regis-
tration by customs authorities extended to Reykjavík
only but came in late 1988 and in 1989 to include a few
more points of customs clearance. Simultaneously, the
Statistical Bureau has discontinued its registration of
import declarations from these places and receives
instead the registered material on-line. However, the
Bureau continued to register declarations from all
other customs authorities as well as all export declair-
ations. These changes caused delays in the production
of the extemal trade statistics in 1988 as well as delays
in this publication.
The tables in this publication have been changed in
many ways from previous publications of the extemal
trade statistics. The following changes can be men-
tioned specifically:
1. The new customs tariff comprices 6,700 tariff
numbers as compared with 2,900 in the former one.
The main tables are thus much more disaggregated
and longer than in previous issues.
2. From January 1988 exports are classified accord-
ing to the new customs tariff whereas they had
previously been classified according to a special
Icelandic nomenclature. Thus, tables on exports
classified by the customs tariff and SITC are now
published here for the first time. Moreover, exports
have also been broken down by a new Icelandic
classification which is mostly comparable to the
former one. The purpose is to show exports of fish
products in greater detail than is possible within the
8-digit customs tariff based on the Harmonized
System.
3. Several new tables have been added to the intro-
ductory chapter. There, a special attention can be
drawn to tables 16 and 17 showing foreign trade by
market areas and currencies. Further, tables VII
and VIII are new, showing imports and exports by
broad economic categories.
Finally, it can be mentioned that all programming
and publication design for this issue has been carried
out within the Bureau.
The Statistical Bureau of Iceland in January 1990
Hallgrímur Snorrason