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INDUSTRY AND TRADE
commercial relations interests on a day-to-day basis and provide information on interna- tional developments which may affect Hong Kong.
Customs and Excise Department
The department comprises the Customs and Excise Service and the Administration and Trade Controls Division.
The Customs and Excise Service is a disciplined and uniformed force. Its main duties are to enforce Hong Kong's laws on dutiable commodities, dangerous drugs, import and export controls and copyright protection. Chapter 14, Public Order, gives a detailed account of the work of the service.
The Administration and Trade Controls Division is responsible for the receipt of trade declarations and the collection of the ad valorem charge and clothing levy on imported and exported goods and for routine inspections of factories and consignments in connection with applications for certificates of origin, import and export licences, trade declarations, manifests and reserved commodities. It also investigates fraud relating to imports and exports, enforces the Trade Descriptions Ordinance and design copyright aspects of the Copyright Ordinance, and handles trade complaints.
In 1984, the division completed 51 003 inspections of factories and consignments, 1 117 costing checks in connection with applications under the Generalised Schemes of Preferences (Form 'A'), and 28 061 enquiries and verifications relating to trade declarations and manifests. It conducted 7 022 associated assessments resulting in the collection of $2.93 million in ad valorem charges and administrative penalties.
The division also completed 1 619 cases, resulting in the imposition of fines totalling $7.4 million and prison sentences of up to eight months. Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, goods with a market value of $32 million were seized and goods valued at $4.9 million were forfeited to the Crown.
Hong Kong Trade Development Council
The Hong Kong Trade Development Council is a statutory body responsible for promot- ing and developing Hong Kong's overseas trade and publicising the opportunities and advantages of Hong Kong as a trading partner.
The chairman is appointed by the Governor and the 16 other members include representatives of major trade associations, leading businessmen and industrialists, and two senior government officials. The council is financed by the net proceeds of an ad valorem levy on all exports and on imports other than foodstuffs; and by miscellaneous income from sources such as advertising fees and sales of publications.
The council was established in 1966 and has built up a network of 25 offices through- out the world in addition to the head office and Tsuen Wan branch office in Hong Kong. All offices process trade enquiries, provide up-to-date trade and economic information. and offer advice to businessmen interested in developing trade with Hong Kong. The overseas representatives and consultants can put traders in touch with any Hong Kong manufacturers and exporters registered in the Trade Enquiries Service computer.
The staff of the council carried out an extensive trade promotion programme in 1984, organising more than 80 major international projects. In the United States, these included a combined fashion presentation/product_display/economic mission to coincide with the annual meeting in New York of the National Retail Merchants Association, the Winter Consumer Electronics Fair in Las Vegas and the Summer Consumer Electronics Fair in Chicago, the American Toy Fair in New York, the National