New excise goods legislation
A new statutory instrument known as The Excise Goods (Holding, Movement and Duty Point) Regulations 2010 came into force on 1 April 2010.
The new regulations set out the general arrangements for excise duty, including the provisions relating to the holding and movement of excise goods in duty suspension, and replaces an earlier European Council Directive.
The main reason for the change is to facilitate the introduction of the new electronic system designed to capture information relating to the movement of excise goods in duty suspension (alcohol, tobacco and oil products). The new system will be known as the Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) and will replace the current paper Administrative Accompanying Document (AAD).
The UK has confirmed that the UK EMCS will be available from 1 April 2010 to receive and store details of movements consigned from other member states. However, the EMCS will not be operational in some EU countries until 31 December 2010.
The use of the EMCS is intended to reduce administrative burdens on business, improve efficiency and minimise fraud.