Success Stories
An automobile importer, the main UK distributor of a major Far East car manufacturer, received a £240k customs duty refund following our successful efforts to overturn a decision by Customs to disregard credit notes issued by the manufacturer which, effectively, retrospectively reduced the customs values of the distributor's previous imports.
A small family firm, importing kitchen appliances, was delighted when we persuaded Customs to revoke a BTI decision which, quite logically, classified caffetieres as "glass coffee pots". But the rules and principles underlying tariff classification frequently defy logic, and Customs accepted our arguments which proposed that the caffetieres be classified as "hand-operated mechanical appliances used in the preparation, conditioning or serving of food and drink". A back duty demand for £35k was then cancelled, and the duty rate applied to future imports was some 8.3% lower than that which Customs had sought to charge.
High customs tariffs in Mexico (35%) were avoided when we advised a UK electronics exporter about the existence and provisions of the EU/Mexico Preferential Trade Agreement, then took all steps necessary to confirm that the products met the relevant preferential origin rules, and to put in place the appropriate export documentation requirements.
A sportswear importer, using the services of buying agents in Hong Kong, was able to reduce customs duty charges by 8% following our advice on re-structuring the content of invoices raised by these agents covering shipments of the garments concerned.
We pointed out to a chemical company the possibility of certain imported chemicals being eligible for total exemption from customs duty as they appeared to fall within the definition of "pharmaceutical products" which benefit from an international agreement which exempts these from import tariffs. Our ideas were promptly "rubbished" by the company's freight forwarders (one of this country's largest) who were adamant that the duty exemption was available only to pharmaceutical firms. Not so! On behalf of the (petrochemical) company we reclaimed £235k from Customs, and eliminated future duty charges on the imported materials concerned.
Through being consulted during strategic manufacturing decisions being considered by a major electronics manufacturer we were able to propose use of PCC (Processing under Customs Control) arrangements, for which we subsequently secured Customs' approval. Some 4 years later we continue to administer PCC on the company's behalf, with duty savings in 2008 in excess of £150,000 per month.