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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.

Our experts

Simon Chun

Simon Chun

Partner Brisbane
Aileen O'Carroll

Aileen O'Carroll

Partner Melbourne
Michael Minter

Michael Minter

Managing Partner Newcastle and Hunter
Leon Mok

Leon Mok

Managing Director Perth
Howard Badger

Howard Badger

Partner Sydney
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