As a business owner, if your company relies on the import and export of shipment and goods for its operation, then you must have a good idea of certain aspects of shipping in Australia such as the cost calculations involved in import duty, customs duty, and service tax in general.
More than being your freight forwarder and customs broker, efficiently handling the shipping logistics of your goods to and from the Australian border by air or sea, TSL Australia makes it a point of duty to inform its clients and customers of all likely costs and taxes their personal or company shipment might encounter during importation form Hong Kong or India.
We believe that with an understanding of the customs clearance process, it becomes easier to handle various aspects of shipping your goods such as getting important documents like import declaration and payment advice in due time.
With these, your freight goods will experience only a minimal delay with the Australian Border Force when you import and export.
Customs duty, import duty, service tax, and all duty rates generally are usually determined by factors like the product category and the value of the goods. As such, one tool you can use to calculate the value of your tobacco products like duty taxes is an import duty calculator.
To be able to properly determine the customs value of your goods and shipment to or from anywhere in the world by air or sea, here is some information you might find helpful.
What is Import Duty?
Before going into any calculation involved in the customs clearance of your shipment upon arrival in Australia, it is important to first know what you’re paying for.
In a nutshell, import duty, customs duty, and service tax each refer to the payment you make when your import arrives within Australian borders.
Customs rules in Australia demand that all charges, duty rate, and duty taxes be paid. As an importer, this is the only way goods such as tobacco products will be allowed in by the Australian Border Force.
When you have a working understanding of what your import duty rate value liability amounts mean and what that translates to for goods, you can make more arrangements to cover the payment of these duty taxes accordingly.
Moving forward, it is important to know that while having this information makes the navigation of importation and customs clearance more convenient for you, it ultimately isn’t necessary when you work with professionals like TSL Australia. As your freight forwarder and customs broker, our services help your company determine the accurate value of the goods and products you’re shipping into Australia and sort out the import tax and any duty rates that the tobacco products might require.
How much is Customs Duty?
When preparing to pay customs duty levy in Australia, the rule of thumb here is to expect that what you’ll pay will be 5% of the AUD of the item you’re bringing in. However, while this rule applies to most cargo being imported into the country, a few types of goods are exempt from this general directive. This is only one of many reasons that freight professionals like TSL Australia are an indispensable resource when importing into the nation.
The payment of customs duties and other duty taxes for clearance isn’t a concept that is unique to Australia. While the way the goods value, export, and import declaration, and even requirement of items like payment advice may differ, various countries such as the US, China, and India have their standards, rules, and fee structure for the movement of freight goods to and from their borders.
This is why the services of professionals from a freight company like TSL Australia can be so valuable. Several mistakes are inevitable when handling exchange rates calculation and the duty rate charge and cost for the export and import of your goods freight independently.
When freight shipping goods around the world, the current exchange rate is crucial to the amount of Australian dollars a border customs will charge by way of customs duty and service tax for your freight import entry.
Without the aid and services of an expert customs broker and freight forwarder, you might not also be aware of the customs clearance rules and the way they apply in multiple countries around the world, especially with 5 various product category, not least of which is tobacco products.
Engaging the logistics competencies of an expert freight team is a great way to optimise your duty rate, liability amounts, and fast-track the shipment of your goods.
Why is Knowledge of Customs Duty Fee Calculation Important for Clearance with the Australian Border Force?
When you have a working idea of how the import tax and duty rate fee calculation is done in Australia, you have a general idea of what charge you can expect on the import of your freight goods in Australia by air or sea.
Depending on how familiar you become with this, you can significantly reduce the time and stress that accompanies trying to get cargo past the ABF.
Considering that you can’t get things like your much-needed payment advice without first attending to your Goods and Services Tax and many other customs duty taxes and duty rate, in order for the freight shipping of your goods to progress through customs, this is important to learn.
Import Duty Calculator – How it Works
Once you understand the importance of the calculation of duty rates, duty taxes, the next line of action becomes learning how to use this tool like an expert. The first thing you need to know down this road is that several factors influence the customs value and cost you get for the import of your freight goods.
Below is a guide you can follow when you want to use this TSL Australia tool to calculate the import duty for goods valued above 1, 000 AUD.
For Goods That Cost More than 1,000 Australian Dollars
When the goods you are freight shipping into the country costs above 1,000 Australian Dollars, there are certain things you must know. Much of the information used in the calculation of your customs duty and service tax can be located in your import declaration.
As an import declaration document can be challenging to prepare at first, the professionals at TSL Australia offer its clients and customers access to this feature.
Other things you need to use this resource effectively, in addition to an import declaration, include:
-an exchange rate calculator,
-an exchange rate calculator,
-the insurance costs of your goods.
How are Duty and Tax Calculated on Imports Using the Value of the Goods?
Since you likely purchased the import goods using a foreign currency, you would first have to use the services of an exchange rate calculator to convert what you spent on the products into Australian dollars.
The monetary value of your goods has to be established in Australian dollars here because you’re shipping the tobacco products into Australia.
The next thing you need to remember here is that rules in operation in the country, barring special cases require that your import duty be no more than 5% of the established value of your goods or products in Australian dollars.
Don’t forget that we mentioned earlier that your insurance cost and freight logistics costs for the goods would also be needed here.
Once you have successfully established the value of your goods, you then add it to your freight shipping costs, the cost of insurance for the product, and import duty costs. All of this is done to determine the Goods and Services Tax fees you’ll pay for the shipment of these goods.
Usually, the higher the value of your goods and products, the higher the insurance costs and the more you may have to pay for clearance because the Goods and Services Tax would be one-tenth or 10% of the total you arrive at.
So, while import duty is only 5%, your GST is 10%.
What to Remember When Using Customs Duty Calculators
You must keep in mind that the best import tax calculator (or doing the import cost fee calculation of the customs value of your goods yourself) will do is provide you with an estimate of what customs duty and service tax you should expect.
It cannot get more specific because various products, such as tobacco products and household items and goods are governed by different rules in terms of customs clearance and customs duties charges.
In essence, as it can’t keep up and accurately account for the multiple variables that affect this aspect of receiving your cargo, you can’t rely on it completely to tell you just what you’ll be paying. At best, it serves as a general guide to point you at a broad price range.
For a precise customs value cost and charges quote for all the goods you’re shipping into the country, you have to consult professionals like a licenced customs broker or an international freight shipping agent.
