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November 16, 2006   ATA Carnet Speeds Reserve Police Officer’s London Video Shoot
What would you think if someone said you could shoot up London and avoid getting handcuffed?  For one reserve police officer, it was a dream come true.   The shooting in question involved video, not bullets, and the handcuffs avoided were unnecessary customs duties and taxes on high-end video equipment.  All of this happened thanks to the ATA Carnet, a handy international customs document that lets users avoid duties and taxes on goods they bring into a country temporarily.   When the Reserve Police Officers Association (RPOA) wanted to do a “COPS”-style video shoot in London, USCIB and its ATA Carnet network stepped up, at no cost, to help the group clear customs, with no duties or taxes and a minimum of hassle.	With the help of USCIB’s Cindy Duncan, reserve police office and volunteer videographer Peter Gould got his expensive camera equipment to London duty-free.
Often called the “merchandise passport,” an ATA Carnet (pronounced “kar-NAY”) is an internationally recognized customs document for temporary duty-free export of commercial samples, professional equipment and goods displayed at trade shows.  Carnets are accepted in over 75 countries, and the global ATA Carnet system is overseen by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the World Customs Organization.   The applicant, Peter Gould of The Intervale Group, LLC, is a part-time special police officer on the Stamford, Conn., police force.  He has donated hundreds of hours of his time as a professional videographer to the RPOA, a nonprofit group based in Yonkers, N.Y. that promotes the use of part-time and volunteer personnel in law enforcement.   “This is part of a larger pro-bono project I've been working on for the RPOA over the past year, for which I've traveled around the U.S. and to Canada,” explained Officer Gould. “The footage I'm acquiring is a mix of interviews and ride-along footage in police vehicles, similar to the television program ‘COPS.’”   As a careful steward of his nonprofit organization's funds, Officer Gould was keen to avoid the duties and taxes that can be imposed on professional equipment like his video camera.   “When the Carnet application arrived in our office, I immediately saw a chance to support a worthy cause,” explained Leslie August, senior vice president with the Corporation for International Business, a USCIB-authorized Carnet service provider based in Barrington, Ill.  “I really wanted to help him out.”   Ms. August immediately contacted Cindy Duncan, USCIB’s senior vice president for Carnet operations and herself a Connecticut resident.  With her help, Officer Gould used the gratis ATA Carnet to clear British customs with his video equipment duty-free and tax-free.  He returned with his equipment at the end of October, having captured the footage needed for the RPOA project while saving both time and money thanks to his ATA Carnet.   In the event he needs to travel overseas again in the next 10 months, the Carnet – good for multiple trips over one full year – can be re-used for additional savings and convenience.   So how did Ms. Duncan feel about saving the day?   “Shoot, it was nothing,” she replied modestly.   More on the ATA Carnet Export Service   Contact USCIB’s ATA Carnet experts

 

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