International trade and customs

Seeking specialist advice on international trade can help you take advantage of Australia’s free trade agreements and tariff concession system.

Take advantage of trade agreements

If you are a trade-exposed organisation or a fuel-consuming business, embedded customs and excise costs can significantly increase your cost of doing business. However, in Australia, there are opportunities to reduce these costs through customs duty minimisation actions and Fuel Tax Credits (FTCs) claims. There is currently a four year window in which customs duty refunds and additional FTC entitlements can be retrospectively pursued, potentially leading to significant refunds for your business.

Australia is now party to multiple Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with numerous trading partners, but duty reduction is not automatic and requirements vary between each FTA. Seeking expert advice can help you navigate the complexities of these agreements, as well as guide you through regular reviews of your import duties paid, supply chains and fuel consumption.

Who can benefit from international trade and customs advice?

Accessing additional support to navigate international trade, customs and excise issues can benefit businesses in the following sectors:

Mining and resources
Civil construction
Infrastructure
Fishing
Forestry
Businesses with high fuel consumption
Businesses with high value shipments from overseas

Helping you navigate the complexities of international trade

Technical customs and international trade assistance

Customs duty recovery
Customs audit facilitation
Technical customs classification matters
Customs valuation
Non-tariff barriers, including anti-dumping duty
Supply chain security programmes
Global market assistance
Import concessions for specific end-use
Import licensing

Free trade agreements

Assessment of applicability, including tariff classification and origin
Assessments and access support

Fuel tax credits

Maximising FTCs
Reviews of past claims and consumption

Australian industry participation plans

AIP plan development
Support for major projects

Expertise backed by a global network

As part of the Baker Tilly network, Pitcher Partners has deep global connections with partner firms around the world. Since most developed world trading countries have similar customs regimes based on WTO and WCO rules, the alignment and relevance across multiple jurisdictions can be effectively managed and supported by our global network.