Guangdong Customs boost efficiency with inland river freight deduction policy

Recently, under the guidance of Huangpu New Port Customs, staff from Ganzhou Tengyuan Cobalt New Materials Co., Ltd. successfully processed the procedures for inland river freight deduction.

This batch of cobalt hydrometallurgical intermediate products, imported via Nansha Port, were transported by barge to Huangpu Port. After review, the inland river transportation and related costs were qualified for exclusion from the dutiable value, resulting in a deduction of 10,500 RMB in inland river freight and a tax reduction of 1,365 RMB.

According to officials from the Guangdong Sub-administration of GACC, guidelines have been issued to exclude inland river transportation and related costs from the dutiable value of imported goods in order to assist enterprises and relieve their burdens. When these costs are separately listed or can be quantitatively shared according to objective standards by taxpayers, they are not included in the dutiable value, thereby reducing tax costs for enterprises.

The customs officers of Yunfu Customs, which belongs to Guangzhou Customs, handle the customs clearance procedures for the goods applying to the policy of "inland river freight deduction". (Photo provided to GDToday)

Guangdong Customs, in collaboration with related departments, has promoted the development of an inland river freight publication system on the Guangdong Electronic Single Window platform. In this system, shipping companies input detailed route freight, which is then compiled and published as reference freight rates for eligible routes. This can facilitate easy access to benefits under the policy.

In June, pilot programs were launched in Yunfu, Zhaoqing, and Huangpu New Port. Foreign trade enterprises now simply need to access the inland river freight publication system on the Electronic Single Window homepage, query route keywords, and obtain reference freight for their routes to declare dutiable value deductions to customs, without additional transportation documents.

Huangpu Port, located in the southeast of Guangzhou, is one of the largest ports for inland river transportation of imported containers in the Pearl River Basin. In 2023, imported containers transported via inland rivers accounted for 40-50% of the Pearl River Basin's total. The "inland river freight deduction" is a significant measure by customs to facilitate the creation of a "golden waterway", promoting dual circulation, and effectively reducing tax burdens for enterprises.

"Since the implementation of the policy, under the guidance of Yunfu Customs, we have enjoyed benefits for 47 batches of imported goods, totaling a deduction of about 1.23 million RMB in inland river freight and saving nearly 160,000 RMB in taxes. We have truly benefited from these incentives. We expect the business volume to grow by around 10% in the second half of the year," said Gu Zhengfa, Manager of Guangdong Zhongcheng Mining Co., Ltd.