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The language of sustainable development legislation and the language of the legislation of origin are completely different; it is necessary to find a lingua franca for these areas to better understand … and implement the requirements. On the other hand, harmonisation of rules of origin at a global level is essential to address the challenges faced by importers - the need for harmonisation of these rules has never been greater. These and many other views were exchanged at the 20th Authors' Meeting. We invite you to read an overview.

The EU has concluded more than 40 free trade agreements (FTAs) with around 80 countries, which supposedly bring significant benefits for trade with partner countries. But is this really the case, … i.e. is the EU fully utilising these benefits? This article attempts to assess the application of EU FTAs by analysing the flow of goods in and out of the main trading partners. The author looks at how import and export volumes and geography depend on the existence of preferential agreements.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), approved in 2012 by the African Union’s (AU) 18th Ordinary Session of Assembly of Heads of State and Government, is one of the Flagship Projects … of the AU’s Agenda 2063. The Action Plan for Boosting intra-African trade has a strong focus on accelerating intra-African trade and boosting Africa’s trading position in the global market, in particular through implementation of trade facilitation standards and tools. We provide a brief overview of AfCFTA rules of origin.

The Study provides a comparative analysis of origin provisions in a region which has the most numerous and complex overlapping trade regimes of the entire African continent.

Redakcijos pokalbis su Mindaugu Krikščionaičiu, Muitinės departamento Muitinės informacijos skyriaus vedėju, apie skyriaus veiklą, gaunamas užklausas ir tai, ką turėtų žinoti verslas – kaip jas … geriausiai teikti, kada tikėtis atsakymo.

Europos Sąjungos Teisingumo Teismas (ESTT) išnagrinėjo bylą, kurioje spręstas klausimas, ar transporto įmonė, tranzitu gabenanti prekes iš Olandijos uosto į prekių importo valstybę - Rumuniją … - gali savo paslaugoms automatiškai taikyti 0 proc. PVM (kaip transporto paslaugoms, susijusioms su importu), ar visgi turi papildomai įsitikinti, kad importuotojas PVM nuo šių paslaugų tinkamai įtraukė į prekių importo PVM apmokestinamąją vertę. Ir jeigu neįrodo, turi PVM nuo šių paslaugų sumokėti pats. ESTT patvirtino transporto įmonėms nepalankią poziciją - automatinio 0 proc. taikymo šiuo atveju negali būti. Visgi, mokesčių administratorius privalo atsižvelgti į visus galimus pateikti įrodymus.

Quality data is the lifeblood of an efficient Customs clearance process. All Customs tasks and responsibilities are performed, at least in part, on the basis of data received from businesses … engaged in trade – for example, data for purposes of revenue collection, risk management, admissibility checks, resource allocation and cooperation with other agencies, as well as the collection of statistical data for macroeconomic decisions.

Instead of declaring non-Union goods for release for free circulation under code 40 (in which case import VAT will also become due), an importer established in another Member State (MS) than … that in which such goods will be released for the procedure (and will thus become Union goods) has – often using the services of a representative who is either a freight forwarder or a customs broker – the option of declaring code 42, thus avoiding the obligation to pay the import VAT and regular VAT in the import clearance MS, with the consequence that (only) the regular VAT is to be paid in the MS of destination (where the importer or consignee is established) on an intra-EU acquisition (and the importer can thus avoid a VAT registration in the MS of import clearance). This is already my summary of the opportunities. The remaining part of this article will deal with the pitfalls experienced by customs practitioners in Austria (AT) and Germany (DE). At the end, I will also try to give an outlook into the future.

The EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement signed at the end of 2020 made very little mention of the impact of VAT on UK businesses trading within the EU. Zero Tariffs and Zero Quotas were the … most pressing concerns for companies looking to see minimal disruption to their trading activities. However, the complexities of VAT legislation and application for businesses are a stark reminder that difficulties remain when trading both out of and with the UK. One of these difficulties relates to the VAT Triangulation concept, essentially a transaction and supply of goods where there are three or more EU member states involved and the supply chain is not as simple as 1, 2, 3. Most importantly, however, is that the UK is no longer able to benefit from the VAT Triangulation simplification offered by the EU, which will therefore result in the need for UK businesses to have to register for VAT purposes when making sales into the EU.

Editors' note: In this article, Mr Rowbotham, author of numerous books on trade and logistics topics, shares some parts of the book he is currently working on. Topics covered: Introduction to … VAT and the challenges it poses for businesses, types of VAT fraud, EU triangulation (How do we prove VAT zero-rating?), call off and consignment stock VAT, postponed VAT accounting. This is the continuation of the article "The risk challenge of indirect tax - customs (Part I)”.

Redakcijos įvadas. Naujai išleistoje JAV autoriaus Mark K. Neville, Jr. knygoje muitinio įvertinimo tema, pirmoji autoriaus padėka skirta Monikai Bielskienei, „Muitų teisė praktikams“ redakcinės … kolegijos narei. Džiaugiamės ir didžiuojamės, bei, žinoma, pakvietėme Moniką pasidalinti susijusiomis mintimis ir įžvalgomis apie knygą, kurią Monika pokalbio metu pavadino muitinio įvertinimo išminties „koncentratu“.

Global trade based on preferential treatment offers benefits to its participants. The main one is a reduction in financial costs due to the application of reduced tariff rates when the goods … have a preferential origin. In other words, if a product originates in one country and is sold to another country with which there is a preferential trade agreement, the product may be subject to a reduced or even zero duty rate. However, the mere fact that the goods originate in a particular country is not enough to qualify for such benefits. The preferential origin of the goods must be proven, so that the customs authorities do not suspect any manipulation or fraud on the part of importers. Each specific preferential trade agreement sets out acceptable ways of proving the preferential origin of goods. A supplier's declaration is one of the means of proof. Let us find out what it is and when it can be used.

The United States is strengthening the role of customs brokers as professionals by introducing a professional development requirement (which will come into force on 24 July 2023), stressing that … this will help improve trade compliance and revenue protection and allow brokers to act as an additional layer of security to prevent illicit goods from entering US commerce. In the meantime, EU customs brokers fear that the EU Customs Reform and the draft new Customs Code could signal the end of their profession.

Customs matters are complex and little known to the general public. This makes customs brokers an indispensable part of international trade, and with their knowledge they can greatly help their … clients. What key competencies should customs brokers have? What additional key skills should they have? And what can we do to improve the competencies of customs brokers? These three questions were dealt with in a workshop organised by Customs Knowledge Community (CKC). Let's have an overview of the results.