Duties and taxes
Government money advanced on your behalf. Should reconcile to the customs entry to the cent.
What it is calculated on
At the amount actually paid to a third party, evidenced by a receipt.
What it appears as on real documents
Providers write the same charge many different ways. All of these mean this charge:
- duty
- duties
- duties and taxes
- customs duty
- import duty
- gst
- hst
- pst
- qst
- vat
- excise tax
- mpf
- merchandise processing fee
- hmf
What settles it when you question it
This is money your provider advanced to somebody else on your behalf. They cannot quote a third party's fee in advance, so comparing it to your quotation is the wrong test. The right one is a receipt: the amount charged should match the amount actually paid, plus any advancement fee stated separately.
Ask for:
- Customs entry / declaration
- Government receipt or payment confirmation
- Line-by-line calculation breakdown
Before you book
This cannot be quoted in advance, because the amount is not your provider's to set. What you can pin down is how it will be billed and what evidence you will be given.
Ask: Confirm duties and taxes will be billed at cost against the customs entry, and what disbursement fee applies for advancing them.
Check a duties and taxes on your own invoice
Free, and no account needed to start.
Upload your quotation and final invoice. ChargeBasis pairs every charge on its normalised type rather than its wording, reports which part of the difference your documents actually explain, and names the document that would settle the rest.
Charges that travel with this one
- Customs clearanceThe broker's own service fee — distinct from the duties and taxes they advance.
- Examination / inspectionCannot be quoted in advance, but must be evidenced: an exam notice plus the exam-site receipt.
- StorageDay-counted. Needs a start date, a free-time allowance, and an end date to be checkable.
- DemurrageContainer sitting inside the terminal past free time. Requires availability date, last free day, and gate-out …
Common questions
- What is a duties and taxes on a freight invoice?
- Government money advanced on your behalf. Should reconcile to the customs entry to the cent.
- What is a duties and taxes calculated on?
- At the amount actually paid to a third party, evidenced by a receipt.
- What should I ask for if I question a duties and taxes?
- Ask for customs entry / declaration, government receipt or payment confirmation, line-by-line calculation breakdown. This is money the provider advanced on your behalf, so the test is a receipt rather than a quoted rate.