The Commerce Department says the ipad is taxed at a high level.

In recent days, the ipad's entry needs to be taxed thousand yuan, causing concern and controversy. The department concerned has sent a consultation letter to the relevant departments of the Customs Administration. The Ministry of Commerce said that the principle of the taxation of personal belongings should be moderately loose and not punitive.　　Yesterday, Wang Hua, director of the General administration of customs, said that the general administration of customs planned to hold an online interview on this topic to answer questions about consumers ' interest. Response to the general administration of Customs to answer online FAQ answers to consumer concerns about the ipad import duties and other issues this report on the Ministry of Commerce, the Customs regulations and WTO rules are inconsistent, the ipad tax rate is too high, the issue of higher taxes, and the recent consumer of the ipad import tax debate, Reporters yesterday called the General Administration of Customs office Director Wang Hua.　　She said that in response to recent consumer concerns about the ipad import duties, the plan will soon hold an online interview on topics of interest to consumers to answer questions. According to media reports, Wang Hua previously said the new rules are implemented within the national customs, not limited to the Shenzhen customs.　　In the past, customs clearance for travellers is only random checks, many illegal passengers can get through, but this does not mean that a law enforcement of the normal, the general administration of Customs will also increase the entry and exit of passenger goods inspection efforts.　　Earlier on August 9, the General Customs Supervision Department Inspector Huang and Customs administration of Customs and Excise Department deputy director Keung, in order to classify and other related issues, and other relevant problems, the Department of Customs official online interview. At that time, two netizens consulted the ipad tax issue.　　"The ipad will be classified as a computer with a tax rate of 20%, which is not appropriate," said a consultant who participated in an online interview. Huang did not make a clear response, saying that the problem actually involved the classification and tax rate of inbound passenger baggage and personal mail. According to the relevant provisions of the People's Republic of China Import and export Customs regulations, the Customs and Excise Department has drawn up the classification form of import duty tariff for inbound passengers and personal postal goods and the dutiable price list for inbound passengers ' baggage and personal mail.　　For items not included in the Tariff classification list, the customs mainly classifies the items according to their main functions (or uses). Recently, a personal purchase of the ipad to enter the mainland to pay import duties of 1000 yuan, causing concern and controversy. The department concerned has sent a consultation letter to the relevant departments of the Customs Administration. In response to the controversy over the ipad levy and the ins and outs of the tax, this reporter interviewed the Ministry of Commerce related people.　　The person said that tax is the duty of every citizen, the fight against smuggling is also the duty of the customs, but the principle of the taxation of personal belongings should be moderately loose, not punitive.　　Yesterday, Wang Hua, director of the General Administration of Customs office, said in an interview with the reporter, in response to recent consumer concerns about the ipad import duties, the customs administration plans to hold an online interview, the topic of interest to consumers to answer questions. ipad thousand Tax Trigger advisory "RenBoth individuals and businesses can advise on issues of trade policy. Consultation and questioning are two concepts. Reporter: In response to the advisory letter that has been sent, there are media interviews with local customs, received a reply that "the advisory letter does not change the current status quo."　　"What is the main purpose of the letter?" Ministry of Commerce: the main purpose of issuing the advisory letter should be to clarify the relevant management measures and the background of the development of these measures, and did not request to be corrected. China's accession to the WTO promised that trade policies would be implemented uniformly in all customs territories of China, and that a mechanism should be established for individuals and enterprises to bring to the attention of the competent national authorities the application of the trade system in a uniform way. Under this commitment, any individual or business can advise on issues of trade policy.　　Consultation and questioning are two concepts. Journalist: Who are the main questions in the letter?　　The advisory letter mentions that "please reply to the relevant departments of the Customs administration before October 29", have you received any reply from the customs? Ministry of Commerce: mainly some people in China for the recent ipad entry needs to pay a 1000 yuan import tax advice, the reason is the Chinese have joined the WTO Information Technology Agreement, that is ITA agreement, why now still pay taxes? Is the current part of the customs policy consistent with ITA? Others worry that they will be taxed again when they come back from abroad.　　We have noticed that the news is up to thousands of, and the public is very concerned about it. On the issue of the postal tax system, we have studied for many years and now find the contradictions more prominent and it is necessary to draw the attention of the relevant departments to avoid the intensification of contradictions.　　However, no reply has yet been received.　　Reporter: Data shows that the WTO information Technology Agreement requires IT products to gradually reduce tariffs to 0.　　Ministry of Commerce: joining the ITA agreement is an important commitment of China's accession to the WTO, after China's accession to the WTO in 2001, began the ITA product tax reduction, to 2005, ITA Products Tariff has dropped to 0, mainly including computer, semiconductor and semiconductor production equipment, the core is all kinds of computer products. The global production of such products is characterized by the obvious, that is, it is impossible to complete a computer in one country independently of the manufacture of parts from several countries, but if the tariffs on computer components are high, the final product will be higher tariffs. The implication of this agreement is that it can significantly reduce the tariffs on computer parts and components and ultimately reduce the cost and price of computers. It now appears that the objectives of the Agreement have been achieved, greatly contributing to the development of the global IT industry and other industries.　　China's IT industry has benefited from joining the agreement, and has been rapidly developing. The ipad is taxed too high "at the top rate, the ipad's import tax rate can only be 17%,20% at a significantly higher rate."　　Reporter: So according to ITA, the tariff is down to 0, how much should the import tax on the ipad fit? Mofcom: In general, customs now levy a 1000 yuan import tax on the ipad, a ruleThere are two main points of disagreement with WTO rules: first, the tax rate is too high.　　The Customs import ipad into computer products, the applicable duty rate is 20%. Postal tax is a combination of customs duties, VAT and excise tax. January 1, 2009, the implementation of the "People's Republic of China value-added tax provisional regulations" expressly stipulates that individuals carry or mail imported items of personal value added tax together with the customs levy. At present, China's value-added tax rate of 17%, and the computer is now zero tariff, there is no consumption tax.　　So, even at the top rate, the ipad's import tax rate can only be 17%,20% higher. Reporter: Not only the ipad was asked to pay thousand yuan import tax, in 2007, the General Administration of Customs revised "entry baggage and personal mail Import Tariff classification table", the clear "computer and its peripherals including personal computer and its storage, input, output equipment and accessories, parts and components."　　The applicable import duty rate is 20%.　　Ministry of Commerce: we have communicated with the relevant departments in 2005, suggesting that this system should conform to WTO rules, but unfortunately no results.　　The tax rate is too high, it is only one of the problems of the postal tax management system, there are some other inconsistencies with the WTO rules, the crux of the problem is that the competent authorities to the personal postal mail items as "different from the goods", so do not have to apply the WTO rules of trade in goods. Because of this "unique" division, the postal tax system has been "free" from the WTO rules. Of course, the application of personal postal goods trade rules is not to be completely in accordance with the import and export products as the management, international practice is moderately loose.　　If the level of postal tax burden is acceptable to all, consumers are happy to pay taxes.　　From the experience of other countries, there are a few basic principles, namely, loose management, proper taxation, high tax exemption, as much as $1000 or even 2000 dollars, the tax rate is very low, so that the tax is very small, will not cause excessive burden on consumers. 5000 yuan duty-paid price is said to be too high "now many computer products prices have not reached 5000 yuan, 5000 yuan as the basis for tax, the actual tax burden will be too high."　　Reporter: Is there any other problem with the current system of taxation? Ministry of Commerce: Our system problems mainly include the return of excess quota, this is a disguised number of restrictions, the tax allowance is too low, the tax allowance is now reduced to only 50 yuan (that is, the tax is less than 50 yuan);　　For example, more than the tax-paid price (refers to the customs determined by the benchmark price) several times the goods will be taxed in full, and now stipulates that more than 5000 yuan allowance of the irrevocable items will be taxed in full; Now our permanent foreign personnel to return to the baggage will also be taxed, in fact, are some personal supplies, one colleague is that the tax is too high to "abandon the goods." The scope of taxation is too large and the tax burden is too highis a more serious problem. Reporter: Because many consumers buy the ipad price is only more than 3,000 yuan, but in the payment of import duties, is to 5000 yuan of tax-paid price to calculate, which also caused a lot of discussion.　　How to determine the duty-paid price?　　Ministry of Commerce: This is the 2nd, which is inconsistent with the WTO rules, namely the determination of the duty-paid price. The tariff is based on the duty-paid value of the imported goods, that is, the price that is payable or payable when the goods are exported for sale to the importing country.　　Based on this price, multiply the corresponding tax rate to derive the tax payable. Now the customs regulations on the value of the ipad are not in line with the WTO Customs valuation Agreement. The purpose of this agreement is to ensure the value of tariff concessions and not to derogate from customs valuation measures.　　If you set a higher duty-paid price, and the actual price is lower than the price of the goods, it is necessary to pay more taxes, that is, the high valuation, is now the ipad encountered problems. The agreement prohibits customs from using the "minimum Price" method to determine the duty-paid price.　　Now the computer products, many models prices have not reached 5000 yuan, including the ipad, then all of these products to 5000 yuan as a duty-paid value, is equivalent to 5000 yuan as the "lowest price" for these products, as a basis for tax payment, the actual tax is higher than the amount of tax payable.　　The principle of taxing personal belongings should be moderately loose, which is clearly inconsistent with the principle of taxing ordinary goods. It is not feasible to fill out a declaration when leaving the country, since February 1, 2008, inbound and outbound travellers have not carried the goods to the customs declaration, they do not need to fill out the Declaration form. We can't go backwards now. Reporter: Should the duty-paid price be adjusted?　　At present, the customs duty-paid price list of inbound travellers ' baggage and personal mail has been implemented since August 1, 2007, taking into account the rapid development of the economy and the rapid changes in the prices of postal goods, replacing the old Price list published in 2002.　　Ministry of Commerce: to be realistic, if the purpose of taxation, the personal line of goods to establish tax-paid prices is also the last resort, and now on some products to set the duty-paid price is not high.　　But the problem is that some products are too expensive to tax, such as computer products, and just mentioned, the provision of more than a few times the value of duty-paid to pay the full amount of tax, now stipulates that more than 5000 yuan and more indivisible items to be paid in full, etc.　　Therefore, we note that there are comments that China's relevant institutions lag behind the times, which is worth considering, in the context of globalization, especially in our national revenue increase of 20% to 30% of the situation, the postal tax management system is still to be levied as the starting point. Even with the tax as the starting point, with the development of the economy and the improvement of living standards, as well as the changes in prices, duty-paid prices can not be unchanged, shouldThe dynamic adjustment. The computer class 5000 yuan duty-paid price, put in 10 years ago certainly not high, at that time notebook computer may want twenty thousand or thirty thousand.　　However, due to the rapid development of the ita,it industry, many computers in the international and domestic prices are less than 5000 yuan.　　The need for dynamic adjustment is not only the duty-paid price, but also includes the above 20% tax rate, but also according to the actual situation of trade adjustment, the actual tax burden at least not higher than the import of goods tax, should be lower. Reporter: Since the ipad tax caused concern, many local customs to remind visitors, the ipad and other original articles, whether old or new, the need to take the initiative to declare a declaration, fill in the declaration documents, and in the multiplex when the entry to the customs declaration documents, Customs auditing can be released no longer tax.　　Is this practice feasible? Ministry of Commerce: it is a very troublesome thing for travellers to declare themselves.　　Now the airport has been overcrowded, but also take time to fill out the form, and now many people travel with electronic products, such as mobile phones, computers, cameras, cameras, etc., if all need to declare, to give passengers a lot of burden. In the past, we travel to set aside a certain time to fill out the form, but also to ask the customs officials to seal, and later at the end of 2007 to further simplify and standardize the entry and exit of passengers to declare formalities, since February 1, 2008, inbound and outbound passengers do not carry should be declared to the Customs declaration of goods,　　We can't go backwards now. What items need to be declared?　　There is a provision, "residents need to return to the entry of the unit price of more than 5000 yuan of cameras, cameras, laptops and other travel personal belongings," so look, the ipad is only more than 3,000 yuan, should not be within the scope of the declaration? Other needs to declare also includes some cultural relics, gold and silver and other precious metals, more than 20,000 yuan in cash, samples and so on.　　This reform is already in line with international practice. At present, such as punitive tax "citizens have the right to shop abroad, in return for more than the tax allowance in part due to a little tax is acceptable, but not deliberately punished." "Journalist: This year, the General administration of Customs issued the 43rd Bulletin (on the adjustment of the turnover of personal postal goods management measures related matters), reduced the tax levy point, as well as the 54th notice (on the entry of luggage goods to carry out standards related matters), and said to closely monitor and combat smuggling illegal activities, please,　　What kind of advice do you have for combating smuggling, in the light of foreign experience? Ministry of Commerce: The big principle that the tax is needed, the individual must be taxed, tax is the duty of citizens, the state value-added tax regulations, customs regulations have clear provisions. The problem now is that the scope of the tax is too large and tax. (Digging the shell net)