The Customs Practitioners Group


 

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Meetings

The meetings of the Group take place bi-monthly, on the second Thursday of every other month (January, March, May and so on), at various venues in central London, at 6 o'clock in the evening until 8 o'clock. Membership is £100 per year, which includes participation in the six meetings a year, and receipt of regular mailings of customs and international trade related technical material (some of which is not always available as quickly or at all on the websites of European customs administrations, trade ministries, the European Commission, etc.). Members serve for the CPG on customs focussed working parties, and lobby the European Commission and others on customs issues.

A customs and excise or international trade specialist is usually invited to participate in a presentation and discussion with members at most meetings.

 

 2012

Thursday 19 January 2012

Thursday 10 May 2012

Thursday 13 September 2012

Thursday 08 November 2012

 

2011

Thursday 10 November 2011

Thursday 08 September 2011

Thursday 14 July 2011

Thursday 12  May 2011

Thursday 10 March 2011

Thursday 13 January 2011

 

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2000 to 2010 ....

  

 

 


Thursday 19 January 2012

 

Speaker:  Paul Robbins, HMRC on Preference agreements

Venue:     Civil Service Club, 13/15 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HJ

 

Paul Robbins delivered a knowledgeable presentation, which included reminders of the New GSP Rules introduced on 01/01/2011, the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement effective from 01/07/2011 and went on to outline known developments of the New GSP Scope and coverage Regulation in 2014 and the second part of the New GSP Rules in 2017. Paul also answered several Members’ questions authoritatively.

 

The SGM was held, and the proposal to reduce the numbers of Members’ meetings from 6 to 4 per year was carried by 25 votes to 2. The Constitution will be amended accordingly.

 

Mike Galloway led a discussion regarding IPR / PCC and it was agreed that CPG Council will discuss at their meeting at the end of January 2012 the action required.

 

Mike Hodge, CPG Treasurer, reported that £10,000.00 of CPG funds has been invested in a Bond with Barclays Bank which will mature on 12 October 2012 and return interest of 2% gross. This is a significant increase on the interest received last year.

 

Under AOB, the meeting heard of Ian Worth’s request for co-authors / sponsors for a Customs Duties Guide for business; whilst this will not be a CPG sponsored / endorsed publication, Ian has been invited to bring this to Members’ attention via the CPG web site Forum.

 

 

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Thursday 10 November 2011 - AGM

 

Speaker:  Open Forum

Venue:      BDO LLP, 55 Baker Street, London, W1U  74U.

 

At the 2011 AGM, the Accounts for the year-end 2011 and the Budget for 2012 were presented by Mike Hodge. All were adopted at the meeting. Barbara Scott, Mike Hodge and Gary Charles were due to retire from CPG Council by rotation; all were eligible and willing to stand for re-election; all three were re-elected, there being no other Nominations. The Chairman’s Report had been circulated to members prior to the AGM and was accepted. A special vote of thanks to Barbara Scott, CPG Chair, was recorded in recognition of her outstanding efforts and commitment to CPG.

 

Other non-AGM Agenda items discussed included - new members; meetings attended by members; members’ meetings (frequency / attendance / speakers). A proposal was supported to canvass members’ views on a reduction in the annual number of members’ meetings from 6 to 4 per annum.

 

Open Forum – topics discussed included samples; IPR (refusal for retrospective approval / reducing Throughput Periods); HMRC approach on audit visits / decision making.

 

 

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Thursday 08 September 2011

 

Speaker:  Caroline Wilkins, HMRC on Working with Agents / Consultants

 

Venue:     Laytons, Solicitors, Carmelite, 50 Victoria Embankment, Blackfriars, London, EC4Y OLS.

 

Caroline Wilkins gave a lively and most interesting outline of HMRC’s Agent Strategy Consultation, including plans in relation to developing the working relationship between HMRC and Agents / Consultants.

A copy of the Power Point slides will be included in the next CPG Members’ Bulletin.

HMRC has invited Members’ views, including our perception of what are the common causes of errors by businesses, and what potential benefits there are / things that might not work in HMRC plans.

 

Other agenda items discussed included:

 

·         CPG Golf Day – 05 August 2011 – date in 2012 may be moved to before / after the main August holiday period.

·         CPG Logo competition result –see also email to Members on 11/09/11.

·         AGM Thursday, 10 November 2011, at the offices of BDO.

·         HMRC Consultation on Civil Penalties – no responses from Members.

·         HMRC Customs Law (CEMA) Modernisation Project – Michelle Sloane will lead on at this for CPG.

 

 

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Thursday 14 July 2011

 

Speaker: Jim Repper, HMRC, on MCCIP and CPEI.

Venue:     The Khan Partnership, Solicitors, 48/49 Russell Square, London, WC18 4JY.

 

Barbara Scott (Chair) paid tribute to Mr Ernest Grayston, long-serving CPG member, who died recently. Members had many fond recollections of Ernie and raised a toast to his memory.

 

Jim Repper gave a comprehensive and interesting update on the progress on MCCIP / CPEI. Some level of certainty on the implementation timescales is expected in 2012.

Further discussion followed on the UK key areas of concern, including Guarantees, Temporary Storage, Centralised Clearance and Self-Assessment.

 

Other matters discussed included:

 

·         Meetings attended by members

·         Answers received (to be circulated) from Jan Pond, HMRC, following the previous meeting

·         C18 and Review statistics

·         ITA

 

 

 

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Thursday 12 May 2011

 

Speaker:   Jan Pond, HMRC, on Customs Debt.

Venue:  Baker & McKenzie, 100 New Bridge Street, London, EC4.   

 

 

Jan Pond gave a very interesting and informative presentation on Customs Debt and Repayment/Remission.  Jan informed members of the introduction into UK practice of the Right to be Heard and electronic payment/repayment of customs debts.

 

Other matters discussed during the meeting included the delay in the introduction of the MCCIP, the delay in the introduction of the C79X and problems with Processing under Customs Control.

 

 

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Thursday 10 March 2011

 

Speaker:   Open Forum

Venue:     Civil Service Club, 13/15 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HJ 

 

An interesting range of subjects were discussed, and the lively debate was enjoyed by those members who attended. The topics included:

 

1, Feedback from Chairman on main JCCC held the same day & Paul Ellis on the Duty Liability Working Group meeting of 15/02/11

 

2. MCCIP – EU are considering delaying matters!

 

3. Low Value Bulking of Imports (“LVBI”)

 

4. Options for the printable Tariff

 

5. Tribunal User Group

 

 

 

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Thursday 13 January 2011

 

Speaker:  Dave Harris and Beth Earwicker from the Tariff Classification Team

 

Venue:      Civil Service Club, 13/15 Great Scotland Yard, London SW1A 2HJ

 

 

There was a presentation from David Harris and Beth Earwicker on the Tariff Classification section in Southend.  This included how the section was currently staffed, the operation of issuing BTI’s, and the Nomenclature Committees in Brussels.

 

An EGM was held to discuss proposed changes to the Constitution regarding funds.  The proposal, as circulated to all members before the meeting, was passed unanimously.

 

There was brief discussion covering the operation of ICS – no major problems were reported, the proposed use of an export C79, and the situation regarding claims under the ITA following the WTO decision.

 

 

 

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