Customs investigating cars brought in by PRIVATE IMPORTERS.

[Guest]

They have found another thing to pick on private importers of SEVS and 15 year vehicles, it is a priority which is why I posted it where I could.

Firstly this came from an Importer who was questioned by Customs and he contacted his Customs Agent to verify the situation who stated it is correct theoretically if it was pushed. I spoke to one dealer who knows of one person who is being looked into for not declaring the exact cost of the purchase and it is a living hell.

According to the customs act to work out Duty and GST you have to declare the cost of purchasing the motor vehicle which includes the FOB cost.

Well they have been highlighted to the fact that people pay a BROKER a fee prior to the purchase of a vehicle in Japan here in Australia and is a cost to purchase that vehicle.

Cut a long story short you are suppose to or should of payed Duty and GST on the $770 to $1,200 you paid the Broker to help purchase that car from Japan.

A couple of people are under investigation for how they operate their bussiness including looking at the supplyiers of these vehicles (do they have prefered supplyiers as a Broker is supose to be looking after you).

The MTA and Fair Trading are also involved as it is being put across that a Broker in other industrys (Finance and Insurance) take a comission from the seller NOT the buyier so why should people pay them a set amount of money.

It is up to $10,000 fine per offence and they can seize the vehicle as well if they want to.

Below is the contact details of Customs so you can look into it if you have a car coming in soon, contact your Broker and Customs Agent as well.

This isnt a story or any thing like that, it is the greedy people trying to make it harder for us.

You can contact the Customs Information Centre on 1300 363 263 from anywhere in Australia or +61 2 6275 6666 from outside Australia or email [email protected]..

As Customs duty varies according to vehicle design and value, and is subject to change, you should contact a Customs office before importing any vehicle into Australia.

http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/r...es/Mvguide3.pdf

You may, if you wish, seek advice from a Customs Broker about the importation and Customs clearance of your vehicle. While this is not a requirement, many importers do so because of the information requirements of Customs and the possibility of penalties being imposed for the supplying of incorrect or misleading information. You will find a listing in the yellow pages of the local telephone directory under Customs Brokers/Agents.

Penalties for such offences can be severe and can, in some cases, include forfeiture of the goods concerned. Such forfeiture would be in addition to other penalties.

http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/r...ortControl1.pdf