| TOP |
| 6th Report of Market Access Ombudsman Council (March 16, 2000) |
1. Complainant: Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry
2. Ministry concerned: Ministry of Finance
3. Complaint:
In order to compile customs clearance statistics, customs requires documentation showing the price for the types of goods shown on the invoice, further broken down into categories for individual products of each type. For example, when the invoice shows the unit price for pieces of meat, separate documents must be submitted showing the price for each type of cut, for example, loin, filet, and so on, and this is very time-consuming work.
The requirement that importers show the unit price for each type of product in various sub-categories in order to compile customs clearance statistics should be simplified.
4. Corresponding Policy of the Ministries concerned:
(1) Customs clearance statistics are compiled and made public in accordance with Article 102 of the Customs Law and international treaties concerning economic statistics. These statistics are extremely important, being one of the main indicators of the state of the Japanese economy, and they are widely used in Japan and abroad.
(2) From the viewpoint of protection of domestic industries and so on, statistics are broken down
1) when tariff rates differ based on product type, or
2) when it is necessary to obtain an idea of import trends.
In the case of 2), even when the same tariff rate applies to different product types, when it is necessary to have an idea of import trends - for example, it is impossible to determine type and price if an invoice describes a product simply as "meat," importers must supply documentation other than invoices to be used for determining type and price.
(3) Where requirements for presenting documentation at the time of customs clearance are concerned, only documents essential for verifying important items during customs inspection are required, taking the burden on importers fully into account. The ministry has been taking measures to simplify and streamline documentation requirements, and will require only the minimum documentation necessary when it is impossible to determine important items, such as classification from invoices.
5. Remarks
The complainant accepted this policy.