A draft amendment to the Customs Act was approved today by the Executive Yuan to make Taiwan's customs operations more efficient and in line with global trends.
Premier Sean Chen noted that among the most important items proposed in the amendment is the creation of a single window for customs, port and trade services. This is in conformity with Recommendation No. 33 of the U.N. Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business, which suggests the use of a single window to enhance the efficient exchange of information between trade and government.
According to the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the Customs Act has undergone 19 rounds of revisions since its enactment in 1967. The latest amendment seeks to speed up customs clearance, reduce the number of complaints, and put Taiwan on par with international standards.
The draft amendment, pending approval by the Legislature, is summarized as follows:
1. Customs authorities will create a single window to process all information on customs clearance, ports operation, trade review, cargo inspection and quarantine. Customs personnel must handle such information in strict confidentiality unless otherwise prescribed by the act or other regulations. Operating guidelines for the one-stop window will be established by the MOF. (Revised Article 10, Paragraph 1)
2. To simplify procedures, a bill of landing will no longer be required upon declaration of importation. (Revised Article 17)
3. Parcels imported by post should be cleared at a designated site. The MOF will prescribe regulations concerning the clearance site, value to be declared, pick-up of parcels, examination and release, and other clearance procedures. (Revised Article 27)
4. To raise administrative efficiency, stipulations on reporting and approval procedures for temporary adjustment of tariffs will be revised by the MOF and related agencies, then submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval. (Revised Article 71)
5. Since records on imported goods are maintained for five years, customs authorities have that much time to thoroughly investigate such records. Therefore, a provision will be added allowing importers up to five years to return prohibited goods to the country of origin. If the importer cannot return the goods, customs authorities will also have as long as five years to confiscate the guarantee money or order the importer to pay the value of the goods. (Revised Article 96)