Customs value is the shared tax base used to calculate import duty, trade promotion service fee, and business tax. Taiwan's Customs Act uses the transaction value (CIF basis) as the primary standard: Customs Value = Actual Price Paid for Goods (Cost) + Insurance + Freight to the port of entry in Taiwan. In other words, customs value is not just the product price alone — international freight and insurance must also be included. This is the most common reason importers underestimate their tax liability. When goods are priced in foreign currency, Customs converts the amount to NTD using the exchange rate in effect on the declaration date, which is announced every 10 days and often differs from the rate at the time of purchase. Once the customs value is determined: express shipments with a customs value of ≤ NT$2,000 are exempt from import duty and business tax; above that threshold, Import Duty = Customs Value × Tariff Rate (per CCC tariff code), plus Trade Promotion Service Fee of 0.04% (waived if under NT$100) and Business Tax of 5%.
Relevant authoritative data
| Tax items | Rate | Calculation/Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| import duties | According to CCC tariff | Customs value below NT$2,000 is exempted (not applicable if more than 6 times in half a year) |
| Promotional trade service fee | 0.04% | Duty paid value × 0.04% |
| business tax | 5% | (Duty paid value + customs duty + excise tax) × 5% |
| excise tax | Depending on the item | Tobacco, alcohol and specific items are charged separately |
*Data source: Customs Import Tariffs of the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance. The website provides 12,000+ CCC tax code inquiries and real-time tax calculations.
Authoritative literature citations
The content of this question is quoted from the "Customs Declaration Authoritative Literature Index Database" built by HowBridge (More than 1,163 copiesGovernment regulations, official manuals, judicial interpretations, intensive reading of academic literature), each article is accompanied by links to government/judicial primary sources for verification:
- 碩博士論文 關稅估價的法律研究 碩論:許萬相《關稅估價的法律研究》,從GATT、布魯塞爾估價定義到我國七十五年關稅法,梳理完稅價格制度沿革與國際紛歧。 nccur.lib.nccu.edu.tw
- 碩博士論文 進口貨物完稅價格與生產國別之實證研究(Empirical study of import duty-paid value and Country of Origin) 用K-Means集群分析實證海關估價:相同貨物的完稅價格不必與生產國別一對一,可按屬性分群共用平均單價(台北大學統計所碩論)。 www.airitilibrary.com
- 期刊論文 進口權利金課稅規範與企業因應 會計師事務所專文:進口權利金何時須計入完稅價格、海關查核趨嚴下的企業合規因應。 www.grantthornton.tw
- 期刊論文 國貿心法 進出口通關實務與進口稅費計算(三)計算篇 貿易雜誌408期「國貿心法」計算篇:進口稅費完整公式與電冰箱/葡萄酒/香菸三實例逐項試算。 www.ieatpe.org.tw
- 統計年報白皮書 海關徵收稅費統計(關稅/營業稅/貨物稅海關代徵徵收情形) 關務署官方稅費徵收統計:關稅+海關代徵營業稅/貨物稅,及菸酒稅、健康福利捐、推貿費等。 web.customs.gov.tw