Customs and International Trade - Crowe Horwath International

Customs and International Trade
Taking a structured, holistic
approach to customs and
international trade can save
your business money, improve
compliance and help you
streamline internal processes.
Crowe Horwath’s expert
advisors have extensive industry
experience to help you navigate
through this complex area and
maximise long-term value.
Customs regulations change regularly
and many companies find the interaction
between national and international
legislation confusing.
Many companies give little thought to
this area of their business, and have
insufficient insight into the customs and
excise duty they incur each year. As a
result, they may end up paying more
customs duty or excise than they need to
or face costly delays in clearing goods.
Crowe Horwath’s Customs and
International Trade experts provide costeffective
services and practical advice
related to imports and exports. We can
help your business save on customs
duty and related taxes, identify and
mitigate risks, and develop a streamlined
compliance framework for the future.
The Experience to Deliver
Real Results
Crowe Horwath has deep industry
experience, extensive resources and
a structured approach to guide you
on all international customs and trade
matters, while minimising your costs
and administrative requirements. Our
Customs and International Trade experts
have more collective experience in
Australian and New Zealand customs
than most of the Big Four firms.
A Holistic Approach to
Customs Compliance
To deliver relevant, up-to-date advice to
clients, we regularly monitor government
policy, legislative changes, and related
court cases and precedents. In addition,
we have access to ministers and senior
bureaucrats in Canberra, and a track
record of helping clients avoid court
action through lobbying.
Crowe Horwath uses a ‘four-pillar’
approach to customs compliance, based
on our proprietary International Customs
Evaluator (ICE) software.
Pillar 1: Savings Review
During the first stage, we analyse
your business’s past four years of
import declaration data. We identify
refund opportunities, investigate and
confirm actual refunds, prepare and
lodge refund applications and evaluate
average duty rates.
We review all the key factors that affect
the customs duty and GST exposure
of your cross-border transactions.
These include:
n tariff concessions
n tariff classification
n customs valuation, particularly for
multinational companies and branded
goods
n the enhanced project by-law scheme
n free trade agreements
n relevant sales contracts
n country of origin and preference
n customs compliance
n industry policy issues.
You can achieve significant cost
savings with minimal resources. All we
need at this stage is a signed letter of
authorisation.
Pillar 2: Risk Review
In the second stage, we analyse your data
– including product descriptions for tariff
classifications, origin status and valuations
– using our International Customs
Evaluator (ICE). This allows us to identify
risks and evaluate broker performance.
Pillar 3: Systems and
Compliance Rating
In the third stage, we assess your
systems and internal processes – from
placing a purchase order to receiving
goods and payment – and review
samples of your import and export
documentation. We can then identify
any weaknesses and provide advice to
improve your compliance rating.
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For Further Information
Please contact:
Russell Wilkinson
Principal, Tax Advisory
Tel +61 2 9619 1930
Mobile +61 428 115 153
russell.wilkinson@crowehorwath.com.au
Pillar 4: Customs
Compliance Improvement
Strategy
In the final stage we develop a longterm
improvement strategy to ensure
your organisation maintains customs
compliance and maximises refund
opportunities. This strategy includes
timelines for implementation and
recommended staff training.
To support your corporate governance
and give you peace of mind, we can
provide our reports and improvement
strategy to Customs and Border
Protection’s-Regional Compliance
Director. This can improve your risk
profile and minimise the incidence of a
customs audit.
Seamless Tax Advice
Crowe Horwath’s Tax Advisory team
counsels clients across the breadth of
taxation laws, and can manage all your
needs in-house. In addition to customs
and international trade advice, we can
help with all aspects of corporate,
indirect, transactional, research and
development, and international taxation.
We also provide services such as
corporate finance, business advisory,
audit and assurance, and wealth
management. As well as customs and
international trade services, we can offer
advice and suggestions on improving
other tax-related processes.
Why Choose Us?
We offer all the resources of a major
accounting and consultancy firm under
one roof. However, that is not the only
reason people are attracted to Crowe
Horwath. All our customers want to
work with trusted advisors who have
the knowledge and know-how to keep
their financial house in order. With this in
mind, Principals are directly responsible
for overseeing your relationship with us.
A Global Firm with Local
Knowledge
Crowe Horwath is ranked among the
top 10 global accounting networks.
We have more than 140 independent
accounting and advisory firms with 640
offices and nearly 28,000 professionals
and staff in 100 countries. Each of our
member firms is known for its local
knowledge, expertise and experience,
balanced by an international reputation
for the highest quality service.
Crowe Horwath in Australia
Crowe Horwath works with companies and individuals to maximise their growth
potential and achieve financial goals. The firm’s team of more than 800 Principals and
professionals delivers a full range of accounting including, audit and taxation, business
advisory, corporate finance and wealth management services nationally from offices in
Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Crowe Horwath is an integral part of the ASXlisted
WHK Group – Australia’s fifth largest accounting services group – and a member
of the global Crowe Horwath International network. Crowe Horwath International is
ranked among the world’s top-ten accounting networks and comprises more than 140
independent accounting and advisory services firms in more than 100 countries. See
www.crowehorwath.com.au.
The relationship you can count on
Crowe Horwath Sydney Pty Ltd is a member of Crowe Horwath International, a Swiss verein. Each member firm of Crowe Horwath is a separate and independent legal entity. Crowe Horwath Sydney Pty
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financial services licensees.
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information. All opinions, conclusions, forecasts or recommendations are reasonably held at the time of compilation but are subject to change without notice by Crowe Horwath Sydney Pty Ltd.
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on the basis of material obtained in this update because the contents are of a general nature and therefore do not take into account each person’s individual circumstances and may be liable to
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