China Exempts Import Duties & VAT for Science-Education Programs

Recently, China's Ministry of Finance (MOF), General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) and State Administration of Taxation (SAT) jointly released a Notice on Import Tariff Policy for Encouraging Science Popularization (CaiGuanShui [2012] No. 4), clarifying that from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2015, exemption from import duties and value-added tax (VAT) shall be applied to import copies and working tapes imported by publicly open science-technology museums, natural museums, planetariums, meteorological observatories, seismographic stations, science-education bases of colleges or scientific research institutions, which purchase telecast rights of self-use science-education film/television programs.

The exemption from import duties and VAT may also be applied to self-use film/television programs imported in other manners by such entities aforesaid.

Imports of such science-education film/television programs aforesaid shall go through the duty-exemption formalities with China Customs based upon relevant certificates issued by provincial science-technology administrations of China.