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The Commissioner
of Customs and Excise is the head of the department. He is
assisted by the Deputy Commissioner. In July 2004, the department
set up the Special Duties Branch to assist the Financial Services
and the Treasury Bureau in conducting a study on the implementation
of a Goods and Services Tax in Hong Kong. The department comprises
six branches, each under a directorate officer. The six branches
are:
- Administration and Excise Branch;
- Boundary and Ports Branch;
- Intelligence and Investigation Branch;
- Special Duties Branch;
- Trade Controls Branch; and
- Civil Secretariat.
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Organization chart of the department as at
31 December 2004. |
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2. The Administration and Excise Branch,
headed by Assistant Commissioner (Administration and Excise),
is responsible for all matters relating to dutiable commodities
under the purview of the Financial Services and the Treasury
Bureau, co-ordination of agency services under the purview
of the four major policy bureaux, namely the Commerce, Industry
and Technology Bureau, the Economic Development and Labour
Bureau, the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau, and
the Security Bureau; taking care of international customs
liaison and co-operation; and conducting study on the implementation
of the Goods and Services Tax in Hong Kong. It is also responsible
for the overall staff management and the general administration
of the Customs and Excise Service, including planning and
management of central resources and departmental facilities.
The Branch comprises the Office of Dutiable Commodities Administration,
the Office of Management Services, the Office of Service Administration,
the Office of Training and Development, and the Customs Liaison
Bureau.
3. The Boundary and Ports Branch, headed
by Assistant Commissioner (Boundary and Ports), is responsible
for all matters relating to customs control and facilitation
functions at all entry and exit points under the purview of
the Security Bureau. In particular, it is responsible for
customs clearance and detection, prevention and interdiction
of smuggling activities. The Branch comprises the Airport
Command, the Control Points Command, and the Ports and Maritime
Command.
4. The Intelligence and Investigation Branch,
headed by Assistant Commissioner (Intelligence and Investigation),
is responsible for all matters relating to narcotic drugs
investigations under the purview of the Security Bureau, intellectual
property rights protection under the purview of the Commerce,
Industry and Technology Bureau, and protection of revenue
levied on dutiable goods under the purview of the Financial
Services and the Treasury Bureau. It is also responsible for
the formulation of policies and strategies to further promote
the use of intelligence and risk management in the department's
operations, investigation and suppression of illicit trafficking
in dangerous drugs, enforcement of the provisions of drugs/organized
crime assets confiscation and control of chemicals. The Branch
comprises the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau, the Intelligence
Bureau, the Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, the
Revenue and General Investigation Bureau, and Special Task
Force.
5. The Special Duties Branch, headed by
Assistant Commissioner (Special Duties) and comprising two
project teams, is responsible for a detailed study on the
implementation of a Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Hong Kong
and, in particular, on matters relating to collection of GST
on imports. Since its establishment, the Branch has undertaken
a series of studies on Customs control for consideration at
the GST Study Committee led by the Permanent Secretary for
Financial Services and the Treasury (Treasury). On 26 January
2005, the Special Duties Branch has been disbanded and integrated
under the Administration and Excise Branch.
6. The Trade Controls Branch, headed by
a Senior Principal Trade Controls Officer as the Head of Trade
Controls, is responsible for trade controls matters under
the purview of the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau
and consumer protection matters under the purview of the Economic
Development and Labour Bureau, as well as the overall staff
management of the Trade Controls Officer Grade. The Branch
comprises the General Investigation and Systems Bureau, the
Trade Investigation Bureau, the Textiles Tactical Investigation
Bureau (re-organized to CEPA and Transhipment Controls Bureau
in 2005), the Trade Inspection and Verification Bureau, and
the Consumer Protection and Prosecution Bureau.
7. The Civil Secretariat, headed by a Senior
Principal Executive Officer as Customs Civil Secretary, is
responsible for all matters concerning departmental administration,
financial management, internal audit, and information technology
development. The Civil Secretariat comprises the Office of
Information Technology, the Office of Financial Administration,
the Office of Departmental Administration, the Information
Unit, and the Internal Audit Division.
8. Apart from the six branches, there are
two teams and one group, namely the Formation Inspection Team,
the Management Support Team, and the Complaints Investigation
Group which are under the direct command of the Deputy Commissioner.
9. At the end of 2004, the department had
an establishment of 4 947 posts. Of these, nine were directorate
posts, 3 822 were posts of the Customs and Excise Service,
508 were those of the Trade Controls Officer Grade and 608
belonged to the General and Common Grades.
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