International trade is becoming more and more complex and understanding the trade and customs landscape and associated opportunities and compliance issues is now more important than ever. The Trade & Customs team is a part of the International Tax Advisory group, which also consists of the Transfer Pricing and International Tax teams. We are dedicated to helping companies navigate the trade and customs requirements associated with their cross-border trade in goods. This includes but is not limited to:

• identification of the customs compliance requirements in the jurisdictions they are trading in
• liaising with customs authorities to address our client’s customs issues
• establishing and maintaining cost efficiencies in cross-border operations via customs duty mitigation
• optimising the use of Free Trade Agreements in global supply chains
• customs valuation and structuring
• tariff classification, customs tariffs, excise duties and dumping duties
• assisting clients to achieve Authorised Economic Operator accreditation
• customising trade processes and controls in our clients’ global supply chains
• customs data analytics
• developing bespoke tools to create more efficiencies in our clients’ international trade endeavours
• specialist international trade advice
• working with our member firms on providing regional or global trade and customs advice to our clients
• assisting clients with dumping matters.
  

There is no average day in the Trade and Customs team, but our graduates and consultants are regularly involved in:

• analysing trade data to identify customs duty savings and opportunities for clients to better manage their trade compliance
• preparing submissions to Australian Customs on behalf of our clients
• undertaking customs value and duty reconciliation calculations
• drafting advice to clients on customs and trade issues
• reviewing trade and financial documentation relevant to our clients’ supply chain chains
• applying the legislation and interpreting case law as applicable to our client matters
• keeping the team informed of updates to the ever-changing global and domestic trade and customs landscape.
  

In your first year, you will develop an understanding of our core trade and customs services, including that of our broader business unit. In addition, you will learn about the KPMG culture, business and protocols. You may be required to undertake external training courses to expedite your core customs training in addition to on-the-job training to build your technical skills. Our team is also committed to providing regular internal opportunities to develop your soft skills and network with your peers across the firm.

The nature of our work requires us to interact closely and regularly with our global counterparts to deliver advice to our international trade clients. Being able to work with our international colleagues is extremely rewarding and is a great way to develop cross-cultural communication skills and to learn about global trade from the perspective of another jurisdiction. Within our team you will have the invaluable opportunity to work closely with the senior management team, who are industry leaders in our field, to learn directly from them, and to play a pivotal role in our client engagements.