The Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) (Amendment) Regulations 2006

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Intrastat is the system for the production of Community statistics relating to the trading of goods between Member States. The Community establishing Regulation(1) and implementing Regulation(2) are supplemented in national legislation by the Statistics of Trade (Customs and Excise) Regulations (“the 1992 Regulations”).

These Regulations, which come into force on 1st January 2007, further amend the 1992 Regulations to increase from £225,000 to £260,000 the threshold, expressed in terms of annual value of intra-Community trade, above which a business is required to provide a supplementary declaration for Intrastat. The threshold applies separately for goods dispatched and goods received.

Regulation 3 substitutes regulation 3(1) and (2) following the annual review of the thresholds in the United Kingdom required by Article 10(1) of the establishing Regulation and aligns the 1992 Regulations with the establishing Regulation.

Regulation 5 amends regulation 4(2) to increase from £14,000,000 to £14,500,000 the threshold, expressed in terms of annual value of intra-Community trade, above which “delivery terms” information must be provided in the supplementary declaration.

Regulation 6 inserts regulation 4(6A), which enables the Commissioners to give directions specifying the format for the supplementary declaration where the declaration is delivered by electronic means.

Regulation 4 and 7 make the necessary and appropriate textual changes to regulation 4(1) and 4(9) in light of regulation 4(6A).

A full regulatory impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk.

(1)

Council and European Parliament Regulation (EC) No 638/2004 (OJ No L 102, 7.4.04, p 1).

(2)

Commission Regulation (EC) No 1982/2004 (OJ No L 343, 19.11.04, p 3), to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.