Hai Phong Customs discovered 120 tons of exported aluminum evaded tax up to hundreds of millions of vnd

Goods in container was checked by Customs force in the afternoon of the same day. Photo: Hai Phong Customs force

Discussing with the Customs Newspaper’s Correspondent, leaders of Customs Enforcement Team (Hai Phong Customs Department) said: Through the information collection of exported goods, the Customs Enforcement Team discovered an enterprise (located at Soc Son district, Hanoi), did export procedures for shipment at the Investment and Processing Customs Branch under Hai Phong Customs Department on 3th March 2017.

The goods was declared as "Aluminum alloy panels", RSI CLASS 3, size (2 x 660 x 220) mm, brand new 100%, origin from Vietnam, code 76069200, export tariff rate at 0%.

Total weight of shipment was 120.12 tons, declared value was $US 227,507.28, packed in 5 containers and transported to the place of loading goods at the warehouse of Dinh Vu port at Hai Phong on 8^th March 2017.

Shipments were classified to the red channel by the Customs clearance system of Customs (must conduct physical inspection).

However, on 3th March 2017, when receiving classification result, the enterprise has sent document to suggest Investment and Processing Customs Branch to cancel the declaration. However, after detecting some suspicious signs of the shipments, the Customs authority did not agree to cancel the declaration.

Moreover, also on March 3, the company opened a new Customs declaration at a Customs branch at another local Customs department for the same shipment while the company received a decision of the Customs authority to not allow to cancel the declaration .

After detecting that the enterprise has opened the declaration for the same shipment at two different Customs branches and there are signs of wrong declaration of goods for tax evasion, Customs agencies have seized AND closely monitored the shipment.

Hence, on 8^th March 2017, Customs Enforcement Team collaborated with Dinh Vu Port Customs Branch (Hai Phong Customs Department) and a working group of the General Department of Customs to conduct physical inspection of the entire shipment consisting of the 5 containers above.

The results showed that the goods are "Unprocessed Aluminum" with a non-uniform size of (20-30) mm x 220 mm x 660 mm, of heading 76.01 with a export tariff rate from 5% to 10% .

If the Customs authority did not detect in time, the enterprise would have evaded hundreds of millions of vnd of tax.

Currently, the case is being coordinated by the Customs Enforcement Team of Hai Phong Customs Department and the Working group of the General Department of Customs to investigate and verify to handle in accordance with regulation.