Evaluating the alignment of financial assistance with the domestic market structure will be the commission's focus.
The Main Customs Office in Brunswick, under the leadership of Government Director Regine Andreas, has reported a successful year in 2024, achieving significant milestones in tax collection, enforcement, and investigations.
In a presentation by the Federal Minister of Finance, Lars Klingbeil, it was revealed that the office collected a total of 2.3 billion euros in taxes, marking a notable increase of over 150 billion euros compared to the previous year. This figure is part of the overall balance of the German customs, which totalled 150.4 billion euros in 2024.
The office also made strides in the collection of unpaid contributions and taxes or recovered social benefits, achieving a result that was over 17% higher than the previous year. This increase translates to a sum of over 122.2 million euros in duties due to the European Union.
In terms of enforcement, the office enforced over 88.1 million euros in open claims in 2024. The enforcement department, with offices in Helmstedt and Hannover, handled 269,527 enforcement cases. The office also discovered 11.7 million euros in damage due to undeclared work.
The KEV department of the Main Customs Office in Brunswick was particularly active, conducting 19,472 vehicle, object, and person controls in 2024. They also seized over 219 kg of tobacco, 286,740 pieces of cigarettes, cigars/cigarillos, and heets, as well as over 271.7 liters of substitutes for tobacco products (liquids).
The office's efforts in combating criminal activities were also evident, as 3,997 investigation proceedings were initiated regarding criminal offenses and administrative offenses. In total, severe penalties totalling 596,305 euros and imprisonment totalling over 257 months were imposed on the perpetrators.
The Financial Control Schwarzarbeit (FKS) of the Main Customs Office in Braunschweig played a crucial role in these investigations. The department employs over 220 staff from departments E (Audit and Investigation) and F (Penalty for Offenses). The damages resulting from these proceedings amounted to over 11.7 million euros, representing an increase of over 140% compared to 2023.
Despite the successes, the office faced some challenges. The search results do not provide specific information about the person holding the position of head of the Hauptzollstelle Braunschweig in 2024. Additionally, a large-scale search was carried out by the FKS Hildesheim against a company in the building cleaning industry, involving staff from the FKS in Hildesheim, Braunschweig, and GΓΆttingen.
The Main Customs Office of Brunswick processes a large volume of goods, with over 5.9 million shipments of goods handled in 2024. The office employs around 650 staff members and 90 junior staff to manage this high volume of work.
In conclusion, the Main Customs Office in Brunswick had a productive year in 2024, achieving significant milestones in tax collection, enforcement, and investigations. The office's efforts in combating criminal activities and undeclared work are commendable and have resulted in substantial penalties and damages being recovered. Despite the challenges, the office continues to serve as a crucial part of Germany's customs system.
