The Chilean government will launch the “Automation of Customs Duty Refunds”, a joint project of the National Customs Service and the General Treasury of the Republic (TGR) that will have a positive and concrete impact on Chilean importing companies, the customs agency reported in a statement.
This measure, framed within the economic reactivation initiatives and aligned with “Chile without Paperwork”, simplified and reduced the times by at least 16 days. processing of resolutions authorizing the return of taxes generated by an import.
In 2018 alone, Customs and the TGR processed 25 of these requests for around 3 companies of various sizes from all over the country, which shows the scope that this automation measure will have, in addition to the integrated work of these State institutions.
Through this digital procedure, importers will have access to greater liquidity because they will receive a faster refund of overpaid duties, for example, as a result of the application of a trade agreement.
Modernization of the State
When making official the start of the new digital process, the Undersecretary of Finance, Francisco Moreno, explained that “This is an example of modernization and efficiency of the State, when different services come together to make life easier for people and companies in our country and eliminate bureaucratic obstacles, promoting trade facilitation. In this case, we went from a procedure that took 16 days to a significant advance, where the application will now be online and automated.”
The National Director of Customs, José Ignacio Palma, highlighted that “This measure undoubtedly represents a concrete contribution that benefits an important group of companies dedicated to imports. Thus, foreign trade operators who do not have access to tariff preferences at the time of import will be able to recover these immobilized resources much more quickly, generating a positive effect on the economy and productivity, which is one of the objectives that we have as Customs in coordination with the facilitation measures that the Ministry of Finance is promoting.”
For her part, the General Treasurer, Ximena Hernández, added that "eThis is an important step forward that will facilitate and speed up the return of taxes to all those companies that import products for sale in Chile. In much more efficient timeframes, the nearly 3 entrepreneurs and companies that buy products abroad will be able to recover the taxes withheld and reinvest them more quickly, positively impacting their processes and the entire value chain.”
Streamlining
The Automation of Refund of customs duties generated in an import due, for example, to a change in the import regime, consists of sending the resolution data via messaging - date, numbers and amounts to be returned - that authorize the return of customs duties by the Treasury, generating a balance in favor of the importer.
This initiative reduces the current process by at least 16 business days, which corresponds to the documentary movement of the resolutions: the information on the refund is received by the Treasury at the same time that the acceptance of the customs destination document (SMDA) is transmitted and is available in its systems. In turn, it is estimated that the Treasury will take between 3 and 5 business days to make the payment effective to the foreign trade user.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
