Guangzhou Customs' First "Self-Declared Preference" Tax Reduction Landed at Guangdong Omat

On January 6, Guangdong Omat Advanced Materials Co., Ltd. customs affairs manager Li Xia used the newly added "Self-Declared Preference Claim" button on the "Single Window" customs declaration interface to simultaneously complete the tax-reduction confirmation and customs clearance procedures for a batch of high-purity aluminum ingots—raw materials for production worth about RMB 1.17 million.

This was the first batch of tax-reduced goods declared under the "Self-Declared Preference Claim" model at Guangzhou Customs, marking the successful implementation of the General Administration of Customs' reform of the tax-reduction review and confirmation operating model in the Guangzhou customs district.

The "Self-Declared Preference Claim" is a tax-reduction reform and innovation measure introduced by the General Administration of Customs, applicable to goods under tax preference policies such as integrated circuits and new-type display devices. Under this model, qualified enterprises autonomously confirm their commodity duty opinions at the time of import declaration, and the customs conducts ex-post review and lawful audit and inspection, realizing "seamless and immediate" enjoyment of tax preferences, greatly simplifying the declaration process and shortening customs clearance time.

Guangdong Omat Advanced Materials Co., Ltd., located in the Shaoguan High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, is a national third-batch "little giant" specialized, sophisticated, distinctive, and innovative SME, an AEO advanced-certified enterprise by customs, and also among the first batch of "Self-Declared Preference Claim" eligible enterprises in the Guangzhou customs district. After this successful declaration, the company will continue to enjoy the dividends of process optimization for imported tax-reduced goods that meet the requirements going forward.

"Under the new model, we handle the tax-reduction-related procedures simultaneously when processing cargo customs clearance, greatly saving time and labor costs." Li Xia explained. Previously, tax-reduction procedures required applying to customs for review in advance; now the preference confirmation can be completed simultaneously at the declaration stage of the customs declaration, saving an average of 1–3 working days per shipment.

"This not only makes our capital turnover and production-line supply more efficient, but also allows us to devote more energy to R&D and production."

To ensure the smooth implementation of the "Self-Declared Preference Claim" reform measures, the Shaoguan Customs under Guangzhou Customs took the initiative, implemented targeted policies, and conducted policy briefings and "one-on-one" coaching for enterprises, detailedly interpreting the applicable conditions, operating procedures, and precautions of the "Self-Declared Preference Claim" to help enterprises accurately grasp the key points of the policy and ensure that the policy dividends reach them quickly and directly.

The relevant person in charge of the Tariff Division of Guangzhou Customs stated that, taking the landing of the first "Self-Declared Preference Claim" business as an opportunity, they will continue to optimize customized services for enterprises, refine the work in all aspects such as declaration guidance and ex-post verification, ensure that enterprises stably and efficiently enjoy the tax preference policy, and inject new momentum into the high-quality development of innovative industries.

Source: Southern Daily, Nanfang Plus