Online payment of customs fees and duties and its guarantee system comply with the requirement of online development, and are also an important approach to reduce trade cost, raise customs clearance efficiency, guarantee tax security and increase revenue of banks. By participating in online payment of customs fees and duties and its guarantee matter, enterprise, customs office and bank can all benefit, and can realize common win in the cooperation.

Q: How is the procedure of online payment of fees and duties?

A: Online payment of fees and duties is one of the accessory service items of China e-port; it resorts to the data center platform of China e-port to connect the customs system and the banking system, and thus offers accurate and swift online duty-payment service to users.

This platform is made up of 3 parts, i.e., custom system, China e-port online payment system and banking system. After the enterprise declares the fees and duties, it can query the payment notice through China e-port and send the paying order online. When the bank receives the paying order, it will deduct the payment from the account of the enterprise with pre-deposited amount directly (i.e., amount freeze, not formal transfer of the amount). When the deduction is done, the enterprise can go through relevant customs clearance and pass formalities directly. After the customs office releases the goods, the system will automatically send the notice of formal deduction, and the bank will actually deduct the amount instantly (i.e., formal transfer), and transfer the amount to state treasury or collection account of the customs office after inspection, and the customs office will automatically verify and write off the fee (duty) bill against returned bank slip showing the success of the amount deduction.
This procedure simplifies the working formalities of fee and duty payment, reduces the frequencies fro and to the customs office and the bank, and has advantage in decreasing trade cost and shortening customs clearance time. This measure also breaks the horizontal limit of traditional payment method, supporting "remote payment", and reducing the cost and formalities of remote customs clearing. Meanwhile, the accessory "5+2" working system also breaks the time limit of counter business service. The comprehensive administrative efficiency of state administrations is therefore enhanced and the "one-stop" service promised by the government to enterprises is also realized accordingly.

Q: How is the guarantee procedure of online payment of fees and duties?

A: Online payment system is straight and easy to learn, the operation is easy, and it is equipped with multi-layer strict security protection measures, so as to ensure its security. However, with the gradual expansion of customs duty scale, the new paying method also brings new subject for security protection incessantly. To meet the development of the situation, the guarantee system for fee and duty online payment is worked out accordingly.

The fee and duty online payment guarantee is to systematically connect e-payment method and tax guarantee system, resort to the guarantee agreement signed between the commercial bank and the importer tax-payer or exporter tax-payer, and it is a new banking business in which the bank guarantees to the customs office that the tax-payer is to perform the tax obligation pursuant to law within the legal period. As long as the tax payer has gone through online payment formalities and is guaranteed by the bank for online payment of fees and duties according to the demand of the customs office, it can obtain the goods after the customs office inspects the customs clearing documents before the payment is actually made, and then pay the duties and fees through the online payment platform within the legal period of 15 days. Unlike the online payment of fees and duties without guarantee, under the online payment method of fees and duties with guarantee, the bank will deduct the guarantee amount instead of deducting the actual amount, in case the enterprise pays the amount within the required period, the bank will recover the guarantee amount of the enterprise; in case the enterprise fails to pay the amount within the required period, the bank will be required to pay the amount instead on the 15th day within the legal period.

Through the online payment platform of fees and duties, the guarantee for fee and duty online payment also becomes electronic. It has all advantages of online payment, besides, it also has the following characteristics:

Enterprise capital circulation is more flexible, and capital utilization is more efficient. The enterprise can conduct goods release formalities firstly, and then selects a flexible payment date within the legal period.

The enterprise can utilize the guarantee amount in a recycled way. The enterprise only needs to submit a general guarantee record to the customs office, and then it can obtain guarantee service for the fees and duties of consecutive imports within the total guarantee limit. During the period, once the guarantee obligation of a duty is freed, the relevant guarantee amount will be recovered automatically, and the enterprise can continue to consume the guarantee limit.

The guarantee is more market-oriented. The bank can follow its own regulations and the market rules to examine the credit of the enterprise, and decide whether to grant guarantee and the relevant guarantee limit. The enterprise can complete this step of work by submitting record to the customs office only after it obtains the guarantee document from the bank.
It can expand bank businesses and raise bank revenue. Guarantee for online payment of fees and duties is a new business of the bank. By promoting this new financial derivative, the bank can not only offer better service to existing clients, but also attract new clients.