Media Release - Karere Uira

Date: Friday 16 August “Just over 2kg of cannabis has been seized in Aitutaki, in what Police are praising as a well-executed operation by Cook Islands Customs Service. The discovery of the cannabis was made during a search on Wednesday 7 August by Customs at the port in Arutanga, concealed in cargo from New Zealand. Police were notified of the seizure and Rarotonga Detectives were dispatched to the island on Thursday with search warrants. Commander of CIB Detective I

We're looking for everyone's input to help shape our country's Sovereign Wealth Fund. Your thoughts are crucial in achieving shared goals. Join the conversation. Shape our future. Save the date and make a difference! For more info on SWF Policy: https://www.mfem.gov.ck/sovereign-wealth-fund

The RMD - Cook Islands Customs Service (CICS) successfully completed a 4-day declarant training course with 19 successful participants. The training was held from 11-14 June 2024 at the Edgewater Resort and was made possible by funding from the PACER Plus Implementation Unit. The declarant training covered five main modules, Customs Legal Environment, Rules of Origin (PACER Plus Trade Agreement), Customs Tariff, Customs Valuation and the use of the current CICS automated syst

The Cook Islands Customs Service is seeking expressions of interest to participate in the Customs Declarant and Broker Course to be held over a 4 day period from Tuesday 11th to Friday 14th of June, 9am – 3pm (dependent on numbers). The course will be hosted by the Cook Islands Customs Service and is targeted at businesses that regularly import or export goods, or broker companies, who wish to register as a user of the Customs automated system (ASYCUDA World) in order to c

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) funded project “Akamatutu’anga To Tatou Ora’anga Meitaki (ATOM): Building a healthy and resilient Cook...

Introduction The Revenue Management Division (RMD) of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management has commenced a public consultation for a proposed amendment to the existing tariff concessions under Part 2 of the Customs Tariff Act 2012. The proposal is to introduce a tariff concession and VAT exemption for imported motor vehicles designed or adapted to transport disabled persons into the Cook Islands. This will make these motor vehicles “free” of import duty and VAT upo

Led by Prime Minister and ADB Governor, Hon. Mark Brown held its first bilateral meeting with the Pacific Department of the Asian Development Bank today. The meeting delved into how ADB, with its extensive resources and expertise, can lend support to the Cook Islands, as well as other Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). With the recent ADF14 replenishment, there's renewed momentum to bolster efforts towards sustainable development in t

As of the 1 May 2024, Mr. Garth Henderson, the Financial Secretary, will assume the role of Acting Director for the Revenue Management Division (RMD) and Customs Service until a permanent Director is appointed at the earliest opportunity. RMD is an essential part of MFEM and is responsible for administering customs and tax laws in a fair and equitable manner, protecting the country's borders, and collecting taxes on behalf of the government. The recruitment for a new Dire

MFEM has recently farewelled Mr Xavier Mitchell, who served as the Collector, Comptroller and Director of Revenue Management Division (RMD) for six years. Xavier, a proud Cook Islander, was born and raised in New Zealand, which gave him a unique perspective in his role as the Director. He joined MFEM in January 2018 on a three-year contract, which was later extended for another three years and two months, from February 2021. Garth Henderson, the Financial Secretary, stated th

The Annual Budget Breakfast will be held at The Islander Hotel on Wednesday 15th May 2024. Breakfast starts at 7:30am and the Budget Presentation starts at 8.30am. The Budget Breakfast is a public event open to anyone who may be interested in hearing about the details of the 2024-25 Appropriation Budget. The Budget Breakfast will also be streamed live on the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management Facebook page. The Prime Minister will present: An update of the Govern

We wish to remind all visitors that it is mandatory for ALL marine craft (including yachts) visiting the Cook Islands to arrive at and depart from a designated Customs port. Customs, Immigration, Bio-Security and Te Marae Ora (Health) formalities must be completed at these ports before any further travel is undertaken in the Cook Islands. Any failure to comply with these regulations, is an offence under the Customs Revenue and Border Protection Act 2012. DESIGNATED CUSTOMS

To all Customs Clients – Importers, declarants and brokers. Please be advised that fruit drinks consisting of a quantity of fruit juice, water and other ingredients are beverages of tariff heading 22.02, not fruit juices of tariff heading 2009. We base this advice on the World Customs Organisation Customs Tariff Explanatory Notes. The Customs Tariff Explanatory Notes for heading 2009 state: ‘the addition of water to a fruit juice, or the addition to a concentrated juice of

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) on behalf of Cook Islands Government recently conducted a sale by tender for eight (8) Electric Vehicles (EVs) recently used for the Pacific Islands Leaders Forum Meeting. The EVs for sale, the Hyundai IONIQ Electric 38.2kW Entry models, are well known for their eco-friendly design, energy-efficient performance, spaciousness and comfort, and excellent fast-charging capability. The EVs were being sold by MFEM on an “as

Inland Revenue is scheduled to be in Mangaia next week from Monday 26 February to Thursday 29 February, 2024 and will be delivering tax information sessions in collaboration with BTIB and Tourism for 3 days from 27 - 29 February 2024. While on the island, we will be available to assist any Individual taxpayers and/or businesses who need help with meeting their 2023 tax filing requirements. We will be based at the Tourism & Culture office during the following hours: Pleas

Starlink kits are subject to the same rules as all imports to the Cook Islands. There is no import duty payable on the kits, but they are subject to 15% VAT on importation. If imported through normal channels such as mail, courier or freight systems importers will pay 15% VAT on the price of the kits plus the costs of bringing them to the Cook Islands. There will also be associated costs such as import entry fees and Customs Brokers charges which will vary according to tr

This is a reminder to all our CCA License Holders for the manufacture of excisable goods. As of 1 January 2024, all excise declarations are to be lodged into the ASYCUDA World (AW) system. Please note that January excise declarations and payments are due by the 20 February 2024. Payments will not be accepted without an ED4 excise declaration in the ASYCUDA system. This is a start of a new system for excise declarations and payments. These arrangements will be enforced

Due to the changes in the Standard supplemental deduction (tax exemption) for the Pa Enua from 1 July 2023, Inland Revenue will need to complete manual assessments of all individual Pa Enua tax returns for the 2023 year. The automatic assessment generated by the Tax System will be incorrect Completing manual assessments will cause some delays in processing Pa Enua tax returns. Inland Revenue will be doing everything we can to minimize these delays, however, there are some

On the 17 October 2023, Cabinet approved the Domestic Shipping Roadmap effectively setting the scene for the establishment of a government run domestic fleet, and supporting the retention of domestic shipping responsibilities to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) through the Major Projects and Procurement Service Division (MPPS) for a transition period of up to three (3) years. During this 3 year period. MPPS will be required to deliver: A two (2) ship gov

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) on behalf of Cook Islands Government, is offering for sale eight (8) used Electric Vehicles (EVs) by way of a competitive tender and on the basis set out in this Invitation to Tender (ITT) and related Attachments. These EVs were acquired for the 52nd Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting and remain in immaculate, near new condition. All EVs for sale are Hyundai IONIQ Electric 38.2kW Entry models, well-known for their eco-

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) proudly announces its successful reaccreditation as a National Implementing Entity (NIE) to the Adaptation Fund, reaffirming its commitment to advancing climate resilience and sustainable development. The Adaptation Fund Board approved MFEM's reaccreditation at its 41st meeting in October 2023. The accreditation is for five years and expires on 13 October 2028. MFEM was first accredited to the Adaptation Fund in 2016. Th

Journey from pioneering access to sustained success BCI with GCF Delegation, BCI is the most recent success story of the Cook Islands GCF Readiness Programme Journey, an example of leadership exhibited by a team of women from our local bank. In a testament to commitment, innovation and resilience, the Cook Islands recently hosted the Green Climate Fund Executive Director Mafalda Duarte and delegation to a readiness success story event. This gathering brought together key stak

to give us a fair go at making meaningful interventions within our communities Cook Islands Associate Minister (AM) of Finance, Hon. Tingika Elikana recently attended the eight annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Held on September 25 - 26, the annual meeting was the first to be organised in the African continent, and the first to be physically held after the Covid-19 pandemic. The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (A

Link to E-Commerce Work Programme

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses were struggling to continue trading due to the losses they were facing from the border closure. The Cook Islands Government stepped into support these business with a range of supports, of which the Business Continuity Credit Facility (BCCF) is one. The BCCF is a collaborative loan facility between the Government and the Bank of Cook Islands (BCI). The Government approved and financed the loan facility, and BCI administered the pa