“Since tax refund reform into paperless mode half a year ago, it has been much easier for exporters to apply for export-tax refund just by clicking in an office and we, as Customs brokers, are also free from many paper documentations, mailings and the trouble of their loss; such reform is pleasant to all parties concerned,” said Huang Dixuan, a customs declarer with Ningbo Lian Xin Customs Brokerage Co., Ltd.

The reform aforesaid refers to the policy effective from May 1 that the Customs cancels printing of the proof (for export-tax refund) attached to Export Declaration Form while the General Administration of Customs is designated to transmit electronic data of Export Declaration clearance to State Administration of Taxation, and that enterprises are not required to submit paper-made Export Declaration Form when applying for export tax refund.

This Customs reform impressed much Wei Jian, Business Manager of Ningbo Chuang Yue Garden Tools Co., Ltd., who said, “since the new policy implementation, we have finished 35 declarations with paperless tax refund, our refund totaling more than CNY800,000 in a shorter cycle of application. The cancel of proof printing helps us not only cut down our labor cost but also activate our “sleeping” fund.”

According to Ningbo Customs officers, the proof-printing cancel means that all exports, except those under port-of-departure refund policy, will be applicable to paperless refund operation and that exporters can apply for tax refund immediately when their declarations are cleared, thus with their refund process simplified and financial strain relieved very much.

In order to promote local foreign trade, Ningbo Customs District has taken numerous measures including the cancellation of proof printing and expansion of paperless clearance, bringing better service quality and higher clearance efficiency.