Amendments to the Customs and Excise Act 1996

Customs Minister Maurice Williamson says that the omnibus Bill, introduced in Parliament today, which amends the Customs and Excise Act 1996 and the Biosecurity Act 1993, will pave the way for the future of border management in New Zealand.

"The border management system, that the government has agreed this year to fund, is dependent on effective sharing of information among agencies operating at the border." 

"This Bill provides for important information sharing between Customs and MAF, in particular, and provides a mechanism for future information sharing among other agencies operating at the border", he says.

"This Bill will ensure that the Government's $70 million investment in new systems can deliver a real change in border management", Mr Williamson says.

More effective mechanisms for minimising errors in import entries and other declarations to Customs are also provided for in the Bill.

"Customs relies significantly on the quality of information on goods brought into New Zealand, and some importers do not take sufficient care in preparing import entry information.  These provisions will provide for quicker penalties and more appropriate penalty levels being applied when wrong information is submitted to Customs", says Mr Williamson.

Also included in the Bill are nine other minor amendments, including a procedure to reduce compliance costs for biofuels excise collection, and reporting for low volume producers.

"I believe that the measures in this Bill are essential to ensure that the government can prevent the importing of drugs and precursors, and other illegal activity at the border and contribute to the prosperity of the country."