Import transaction fee

Media Release November 8 2001

Import transaction fee

The New Zealand Customs Service is working on the implementation options for the import transaction fee announced by the Government today.

An amendment to the Customs & Excise Act 1996 will shortly be introduced with the objective of introducing the fee from 1 July 2002.

Customs National Manager (Goods) Allen Bruford says Customs will be consulting with representatives of affected parties about implementation.

“There are approximately 30,000 importers in New Zealand, but no such thing as an average importer. Some businesses may only import once or twice a year while others have large numbers of consignments coming through, meaning they will be lodging a larger number of entries.

“ We aim to keep the process as simple as possible, using the capability of our computer system, CusMod.”

Importers will be contributing to maintaining and improving New Zealand’s fast, simple, and efficient IT-based import clearance process.

Importers or their brokers have to lodge an entry with Customs giving the description, value, origin, mode of importation and other relevant information about the goods. That’s used to monitor what’s coming into the country and to calculate GST, duty or excise equivalent duty that may have to be paid.

Customs processes are designed to expedite the clearance of legitimate trade and identify goods that may be of harm to business or the community.

In the last financial year Customs processed just under a million import entries, with 97 per cent of those being lodged and cleared electronically.

The fee of $16 (plus GST) will apply to each commercial import entry and import declaration for goods with a duty liability greater than $50. Private import declarations under the value of $1000 will not be affected.

ENDS

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