Home»Import Representation» Analysis of three hidden costs in import equipment agency taxes and fees
Core components of import equipment taxes and fees
Import equipment agency taxes and fees mainly consist of three parts:Tariff, VAT, and customs clearance service fees. According to the latest 2025 Customs Tariff of the Peoples Republic of China,import and exportelectromechanicalEquipment Importstariff rates range from 3%-15%, with a unified VAT rate of 13%. Specific tax calculations require consideration of the following factors:
Equipment HS code (determines tariff rate)
Country of origin (affects FTA applicability)
Dutiable value (based on CIF price)
Applicability of preferential policies
Practical case of tax calculation
Taking a company importing CNC machine tools from Germany as an example:
Equipment CIF price: 1.2 million yuan
HS code8458.1100 (tariff rate 9.7%)
Applicable China-EU FTA preferential rate 8%
Calculation process:
Tariff=1.2 million ×8%=96,000 yuan
VAT=(1.2 million +96,000)×13%=168,500 yuan
Total taxes and fees=264,500 yuan (22% of goods value)
Key Points of Policy Changes in 2025
Three important adjustments have been made to this years import equipment tax policies:
The scope of provisional tariff rates has been expanded to cover 12 categories of intelligent manufacturing equipment
27 new mechanical product tariff items added under the RCEP agreement
Second - hand equipment imports need to provideThree-level inspection report
Effective ways to reduce tax costs
Professional agency services can save 5%-15% in tax expenditures:
Tariff Planning:
Utilizing FTA tariff rate differences
Split import of equipment and components
VAT optimization:
Complete tax exemption qualification filing in advance
Adopt processing trade supervision mode
Customs clearance strategies:
Select ports with lower comprehensive tax rates
Stagger declarations to avoid peak inspection periods
Comparative table of typical equipment category taxes
Medical imaging equipment: 5% tariff + 13% VAT
Industrial robots: 8% tariff + 13% VAT
Power generation units: 10% tariff + 13% VAT
Printing equipment: 7.5% tariff + 13% VAT
Key indicators for agency service selection
High-quality agency service providers should possess:
AEO Advanced Certification
Case database for specific equipment category imports
A real - time updated tariff database system
Covering at least 3 major import ports
It is recommended that enterprises require the agency company to provideSimulated tax calculation report, comparing tax differences under different schemes. According to General Administration of Customs 2025 data, professional agency services can reduce comprehensive import equipment taxes by 8.3% and improve customs clearance efficiency by 40%.