An import tariff or import duty is a schedule of duties imposed by a country on imported goods.It is paid at a border or port of entry to the relevant government to allow goods to pass into that government's territory. Typically duties are collected by national governments or, in a customs union, by the regional authority.

The tariff can be levied on a percentage of the value of the import, or the amount of the import (amount per unit of import). Tariffs are traditionally designed to raise revenue for the government, however they can also be for;

Reducing the level of imports by making them more expensive relative to domestic substitutes (this lowers a balance of trade deficit).

To counter the practice of dumping by raising the import price of the dumped good to market level.

To retaliate against trade barriers imposed by another country, a trade war.

To protect key industries such as agriculture, such as the European Union has done with its Common Agricultural Policy.

To protect a new industry until it is sufficiently well established to compete on the international market.

Since there are thousands of different goods, which can be imported, they are classified into categories (called "headings" and "subheadings") for the purpose of duty. For each sub-heading, a specific rate of duty has been prescribed. The process of assigning the goods to a "headings" or a "subheadings" is known as "Classification of Goods", otherwise known as HS Codes.

In order to compute the total duty payable we must first obtain a HS Code. You can either:

Enter a description of the item into the market access database to obtain a HS Code of the product

http://mkaccdb.eu.int/

Or by contacting Customs and Excise: 01703 366 077

Once you found the HS Code, simply enter the HS code into the market access database to find the duty applicable to your product (Please note to select the appropriate country you wish to import/export to)

http://mkaccdb.eu.int/

Please be aware that other taxes may be applicable in addition to the import duty. These additional taxes will be listed on website database.