The Technical Committee on Customs Valuation (TCCV) held its 38th Session in Brussels from 5 to 9 May 2014. The TCCV is the body responsible for technical interpretation of the WTO Agreement on Customs valuation and in particular examines technical questions submitted by WTO/WCO Members. In some cases, instruments are issued based on questions raised which provide helpful guidance to Customs administrations and importers, leading to a more consistent interpretation of the Agreement.
At the 38th Session, the TCCV examined questions relating to the use of transfer pricing studies when examining related party transactions, distribution fees and royalties and licence fees. In addition to WTO Member countries, observers from the World Trade Organization, International Chamber of Commerce, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the World Bank/International Finance Corporation made valuable contributions to the discussions.
A special Theme Meeting was also held during the week focussing on the issue of undervaluation which continues to be a major challenge for many administrations. Nine countries made presentations on the following three sub-topics: Practical use of risk management data to combat undervaluation (China, Madagascar, Italy), tackling under/over-invoicing: establishing an effective control strategy (Uruguay, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria) and the challenges of the informal sector (Sri Lanka, Malawi, Burkina Faso). Fruitful discussions followed each set of presentations.
During the annual elections for the TCCV, Ms. Yuliya Gulis (United States) was duly elected as Chairperson. The outgoing Chairperson is Mr. O. Aoufi (Morocco). The TCCV will meet again in October 2014.