Ecuador recently renewed its tariff exemptions for imports of soybean meal and wheat from all origins, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service report released March 2. The exemptions took effect Jan. 1 and will last for five years, the agency said. The extension marks the first time Ecuador has announced a five-year renewal, the agency said, adding that previous extensions have covered only two- to three-year periods.
Costa Rica introduced an interest rate for late or incorrect payments on taxes made to the country’s customs authority, according to a March 5 KPMG alert. The new rate will be 12.2% and will take effect April 1. KPMG said the rate also applies to “interest in the case of fines imposed by the National Customs Service.”
Global Affairs Canada is seeking comment on the “Origin Quota commitment for Vehicles under the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) with the European Union,” it said in a notice. Comments are due April 22.
The Dominican Republic introduced a new method of calculating customs value when imports of goods are made under a distribution agreement or “between related companies,” according to a Feb. 28 KPMG post. The country’s customs authority will first evaluate information contained in the single customs declaration along with a tax return relating to payments made abroad, the post said. The import will be assessed by Dominican Customs “specifically to include the value of royalties with the cost, insurance, and freight of the merchandise.” The imported merchandise will then be revalued and taxes and customs tariffs are resettled, KPMG said.
Brazil and Paraguay signed an agreement in February that is expected to strengthen trade and customs cooperation, according to a Feb. 28 KPMG post. The deal calls for both countries to grant “free trade” treatment for certain auto products, the post said, and provides rules of origin for auto goods and “preferential access conditions.” The deal must still be ratified in both countries.
At least three Mexican ports are requiring 48 hours' notice before ships arrive from China, in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through crew members, according to a Feb. 27 report from Mexico Today. The “detection protocol” is being carried out at the Manzanillo, Lázaro Cárdenas and Ensenada ports along the Pacific coast, which all have “direct trade links” to China, the report said. The Manzanillo port is Mexico's largest port by volume, the report said, moving more than 3 million containers per year. Manufacturers in northwestern Mexico have reported interruptions in production lines for a variety of goods -- including in the electric, auto, aerospace and medical equipment industries -- due to Chinese supply chain delays, the report said.
China and Canada must resolve ongoing disputes that have hurt exports of canola since China blocked Canadian imports of the product nearly a year ago (see 1903060058), the Canola Council of Canada said in a Feb. 27 news release. “The canola sector is being targeted by China over a dispute with Canada,” said Jim Everson, president of the CCC. “Farmers and the industry they’re part of cannot continue to shoulder the impact of something entirely out of their control.” Canola seed exports to China were down about 70% in 2019 due to trade disruption, the trade group said.