Customs balance sheet 2024: More than 6.6 million customs clearances 635,000 checks carried out and 8.2 billion euros in duties secured

Customs balance for 2024: More than 6.6 million customs clearances, 635,000 checks carried out and 8.2 billion euros in duties secured

Customs Authority Austria (ZAÖ) carried out 635,176 checks – violations especially in the areas of narcotics, tobacco products, product safety and medicines remained at a high level.

In total, the Austrian Customs Office carried out 635,176 inspections in 2024. In 2023, the figure was 607,081, representing an increase of around 4.6 percent. The revenue of 8.2 billion euros underlines the central role of customs in securing state revenue.

A total of around 1,740 customs officers were on duty last year. The proportion of women was 38.45 per cent, and the average age of employees was around 44. The customs officers were assisted by 29 service dogs, four of which are currently still in training.

"In 2024, the employees of the Austrian Customs Authority once again demonstrated through their performance how efficient and effective our control and surveillance measures are. Their work makes a significant contribution to protecting the population, securing our borders, ensuring fair competition and strengthening Austria as a business location. I would like to thank our customs officers for their commitment, expertise and dedication," said State Secretary Barbara Eibinger-Miedl.

The central task of the customs administration is to levy customs duties, taxes and other duties, as well as to handle cross-border trade, thereby strengthening Austria's position as a business and logistics location. During inspections, compliance with a wide range of regulations is monitored, which serve to protect and ensure the safety of society, people, animals, plants and the environment, and protect the economy from illegal practices.

Important contribution to state revenue

Thanks to the efforts of the Austrian customs authorities, duties amounting to 8.164 billion euros were collected in 2024. The majority of this was accounted for by mineral oil tax, at 3.804 billion euros. Tobacco tax brought in 2.126 billion euros, while national emissions trading accounted for 1.176 billion euros.

The import VAT raised amounted to 368 million euros. In addition, 5.6 billion euros were assessed on the basis of customs clearance for import VAT and will be collected by the Austrian tax office. Customs duties flowing into the EU budget amounted to 272 million euros. Duties on alcohol amounted to 154 million euros and beer duties to 192 million euros. Other duties accounted for 72 million euros. Around 7.9 billion euros of the duties and taxes will benefit the Austrian national budget.

In 3,113 operations, 337,261 mobile checks were carried out, resulting in 14,198 findings. In addition, there were 94,455 controls in tourist traffic with 7,131 findings and 7,939 controls in the consumption tax sector with 55,230 declarations. Around 6.7 million declarations were processed during customs clearance, with 194,897 controls carried out and 9,109 findings documented. In addition to ensuring that the tax bases for customs duties, import VAT and excise duties were correctly declared, checks were carried out especially to ensure compliance with prohibitions and restrictions designed to protect and safeguard humans, animals, plants, the environment and society, and to ensure fair competition.

As part of the tax audit, 624 audits were carried out, resulting in a surplus of 14.2 million euros.

Species protection, plants and animal products

In the area of species protection, controls carried out by the Austrian Customs Authority resulted in 103 reports. This led to the seizure of 200 live animals and 3,350 goods made from protected species of animals and plants. The goods seized included, inter alia, a large number of medicinal products containing ingredients from protected species, as well as live leeches, a dead Nile crocodile and corals. Following investigations by the customs investigation service, a suspect was sentenced in Salzburg to three months' imprisonment, suspended for three years, under the Species Trade Act for offering a total of 57 ivory sculptures/animal specimens listed in Annex A of the Ordinance on the Protection of Specimens of Wild Animal and Plant Species through Trade Monitoring on the Internet. During an inspection of a Serbian transporter in St. Anton am Arlberg, a tiger head covered by the Ordinance was seized and the driver was reported on suspicion of a criminal offence.

In the plant and animal products sector, there were 3,093 seizures in 2024. These included 419 live animals, including those that died during transport, and 16,107 kilograms and pieces of plants. Around 18.6 tonnes of animal products were seized. This included 12.6 tonnes of meat and meat products, 5.2 tonnes of milk and milk products, 239 kilograms of fish and fishery products, 500 kilograms of honey and 11 kilograms of table eggs.

The Customs Authority Austria (ZAÖ) protects the animal and plant world with these controls: Diseases such as swine fever, bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease are widespread worldwide. The import of live animals and products of animal origin, but also of plants and parts of plants, carries a high risk of introducing such diseases, which threaten the animal and plant world.

Medicinal products, narcotics and tobacco products

In the medicinal products sector, the 2024 inspection results were once again very positive. A total of 7,147 seizures were recorded. This included 378,109 illegally imported medicinal products, counterfeit or falsified medicinal products and anabolic steroids. One notable seizure by customs officers was honey laced with a medicinal ingredient to enhance potency.

The fight against drug smuggling remained a key focus of the Austrian Customs Office in 2024. The number of drug seizures amounted to 1,330. In total, over half a tonne of drugs were seized. Cannabis accounted for the largest share with 363.11 kilograms, followed by khat with 120 kilograms, around 50 kilograms of new psychoactive substances (NPS), around 45 kilograms of psychotropic substances, 17 kilograms of cocaine and 0.43 kilograms of opiates.

Investigations by customs officials uncovered extensive smuggling of CBD (cannabidiol extracts, hashish, flowers, oils, ointments). In the course of several house searches, evidence was secured and the defendants were ultimately convicted of smuggling and receiving stolen goods worth approximately 1.1 million euros, for which import duties of just under 182,000 euros were evaded. The three defendants were sentenced by the court to fines ranging from €40,000 to €45,000 and compensation totalling €145,000.

There were also significant seizures in the tobacco products sector in 2024. Around 6.1 million cigarettes were seized in 2,794 reports. In addition, 52,543 other tobacco products were seized. These included 17,673 cigars and cigarillos, 9,603 e-cigarettes, 375 e-cigarette liquids, 69 kilograms of chewing tobacco, 59 kilograms of rolling tobacco, 491 kilograms of raw tobacco, 60 pieces of snuff and 16 kilograms and 5,957 pieces of tobacco for oral use. Further seizures included 1,066 kilograms and 600 packets of water pipe tobacco and 18,274 pieces of tobacco for heating. In one spectacular case, 406,920 cigarettes were discovered in 24 suitcases in a coach, while another large seizure yielded 170,520 cigarettes and 50 kilograms of water pipe tobacco.

Cash controls and market surveillance

Cash controls, i.e. the control of cash imports and exports, resulted in 91 procedures in which incorrectly declared cash amounts totalling 5.4 million euros were detected. In addition, 16 shipments of counterfeit money were identified, with a total value of 218,950 euros.

In addition to fiscal aspects, goods controls during customs clearance also serve to ensure that products comply with existing regulations on health, safety, consumer protection and environmental protection. These controls carried out by the Austrian Customs Office in the market surveillance sector led to 785 suspicious reports being made to the competent market surveillance authorities in 2024. In 569 cases, the products were not authorised for release for free circulation. As a result, 136,333 products that did not meet safety, environmental or consumer protection requirements were rejected and did not enter the economic cycle. In almost 40 other cases involving approximately 73,000 products, the market surveillance authorities only approved release for free circulation after specific measures had been taken by the importer.

In the area of product piracy, 128,898 counterfeit goods were seized and confiscated in almost 10,000 procedures based on control findings. The value of the 128,898 products seized amounted to more than 38 million euros (based on the original price).

Based on the results of the controls, 3,271 administrative financial criminal proceedings were conducted. The customs authorities imposed administrative penalties amounting to around 3.6 million euros. The number of reports to other authorities amounted to 5,559.

Customs investigators were able to substantiate that one perpetrator had been trading in counterfeit branded goods over a period of several years. The goods in question were wristwatches, watch cases, belts, shoes, fasteners, lighters, bracelets, bags and glasses, which were brought into the EU customs territory from China in violation of regulations. The value of the goods is just under 800,000 euros. The amount of tax evaded on the goods, which is also the value used to determine the penalty, amounts to 163,442 euros (customs and import VAT). The perpetrator was sentenced to a fine of 70,000 euros and a partial value replacement penalty of 100,000 euros for smuggling.

Gang-related evasion of mineral oil tax

A group of perpetrators transported a total of 76 mineral oil deliveries from Slovenia to Austria without paying duty, with only two deliveries being properly declared. This resulted in mineral oil tax evasion amounting to 943,982 euros on 2,377,790 litres of mineral oil.

After several years of complex investigations, the perpetrator, who was wanted internationally, was arrested and extradited in 2024 and brought to trial.

He was sentenced by the court to a suspended prison term of 12 months to 3 years. In addition, a penalty payment of 200,000 euros was imposed.

High-priced vehicles smuggled

The smuggling of vehicles from third countries into Austria is a recurring theme in customs investigations. In one case, three people were found guilty of deliberately bringing a Ferrari F 142 488 Pista, with a value of 99,119 euros, into the EU in violation of regulations and then handing it over for onward transport. The perpetrators were each sentenced to fines of between €40,000 and €50,000.

In another investigation by customs investigators, two people were found guilty of deliberately bringing a MAN TGS 50.510 truck worth €220,304 into the EU in violation of regulations. The value of the offence amounts to €102,221. The perpetrators were sentenced to fines of €44,000 and €50,000, respectively, and a partial value replacement penalty of €10,000.