Consultation: Recovering the costs of goods management activities at the border

Joint consultation on fees and levies for goods

The New Zealand Customs Service (Customs) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) are undertaking public consultation on proposed changes to make goods fees and levies financially sustainable and fairer.

What is being consulted on

Proposals being consulted on include:

• Moving from per document to per consignment charging for low value goods (valued $1000 or less).
• Introducing differential charges for high value air and sea consignments (valued over $1000).
• Discontinuing one export related fee.
• Introducing a commercial vessel charge to recover the costs of managing commercial vessels.
• Bringing transhipped goods and empty containers within the scope of the charging regime.
• Moving to full cost recovery for clearing low value air cargo.
• Recovering the cost of clearing low value goods arriving by international mail.
• Adjusting fee levels so that Customs’ goods management activities are financially sustainable.

Impact on rates

If all of the proposals being consulted on are implemented following consultation, there will be changes to the rates and structures of some fees. The rates of some fees would increase and rates of others would reduce.

Moving from per document charging to consignment charging for low value goods would mean that some existing charges no longer apply and would be replaced by a new charge per consignment.

The indicative combined Customs and MPI rates if all proposals are introduced after consultation are outlined in the Consultation Document.

What fees and levies are used for

Goods fees and levies are charged to importers, exporters, freight companies, shipping companies and airlines to ensure border agencies can provide services to protect against illicit and harmful items and unwanted pests and organisms crossing the border, and to clear goods efficiently.

Have your say

Consultation is open for public submissions until 31 October 2024.

Send feedback by email

consultingonfeesandlevies@customs.govt.nz

Send feedback by post

Consultation: Recovering the costs of goods management activities at the border New Zealand Customs Service
PO Box 2218
Wellington 6140

Consultation document

Further details are available in the consultation documents below.

• Recovering the Costs of Goods Management at the Border: A Joint Consultation Document (PDF, 1.3 MB)
• Recovering the Costs of Goods Management at the Border: Summary Document (PDF, 353 KB)

This is an updated version of the joint consultation document. Errors identified in the original version released on 4 September 2024 have been corrected.