The Working Tariff Document (WTD) has been reprinted with an effective date of 30 December 2018. Read more
10 new services and initiatives
The new Act introduces 10 new services and initiatives.
What customers need to know
You need to be aware of the new services and initiatives and determine how they may affect you and your business.
The online education resources go into more detail about what has changed. We encourage you to read this summary of changes and then undertake the online learning.
The 10 new services and initiatives
The new services and initiatives reflect opportunities identified during the Act review process.
The 10 new services and initiatives are:
| Change | Description |
|---|---|
| Valuation rulings | Customs can now make binding rulings on the value of imported goods. |
| Provisional values | Certain importers can now declare provisional values for their goods at the time of importation when final values may not be known. |
| Compensatory interest and late payment penalties | There is a new system for charging compensatory (use of money) interest and late payment penalties, when duty hasn't been paid in full at the right time. |
| Infringement notice scheme | A new infringement notice scheme for minor offences will be introduced on 1 April 2019. |
| Joint Border Management Systems (JBMS) competency and registration | Trade Single Window (TSW) users need to provide evidence of ongoing competency. |
| Administrative penalties | The same administrative penalties will apply to exporters, importers, licensees, and agents who make errors or omissions in their entries and do not voluntarily disclose it to Customs. |
| Administrative review process | Customs is introducing an internal review process so customers can more easily appeal duty assessment decisions. |
| Excise goods | There are a number of changes to how Customs treats excisable goods – alcohol, fuel, tobacco. Previous changes to Customs and Excise Regulations became effective from 1 February 2017. These can be found on this page |
| Comptroller's discretion | The Chief Executive of Customs now has explicit statutory discretion to make and correct assessments, and collect the duty identified. |
| Storing business records | Customers can now apply to store their electronic business records outside New Zealand, including in the cloud. |
If you have any queries, please contact us via our Enquiries online form.