SAN ANTONIO -- The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security and the Census Bureau hope to issue their long-awaited proposed regulations on routed export transactions in late spring or early summer, said Sharron Cook, senior policy export analyst at BIS, at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference April 17. When they come out, Cook thinks, export forwarders will see two of their bigger headaches with the current regulations on track for resolution.
SAN ANTONIO -- CBP is combing through its export processes to streamline, automate and harmonize agency review, exams and penalties across the ports, according to Jim Swanson, director of CBP’s cargo and security controls division. Speaking at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference April 17, Swanson said CBP has “incrementally moved the ball” on exports in the past year, but is “on the verge” with “a few things we’re working on diligently.”
SAN ANTONIO -- Non-vessel operators (NVOs) should be working with their customers to minimize any surprises coming from the implementation of revised International Maritime Organization sulfur emissions standards in 2020, said transportation industry experts during a panel discussion at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference on April 16.
Canada is moving closer to new regulations that would create some new restrictions on transactions involving controlled goods moving to other countries, law firm McCarthy Tetrault said in a blog post. The proposed regulations "create a new control regime for Canadians engaged in 'brokering' related to transactions involving the movement of certain controlled goods, services or technology from one foreign country to another," the firm said. "This is the first time Canada has imposed such controls and companies that may be potentially involved in such transactions."
Mexico will seek to crack down on corruption, triple duty collections and greatly reduce maritime port and Northern border wait times under a recently announced reform plan, General Administrator of Customs Ricardo Peralta Saucedo said in an interview with Mexican news agency Notimex posted by the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations on April 15.
In the April 12 edition of the Official Journal of the European Union the following trade-related notices were posted:
The Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) issued a circular April 12 correcting earlier information it disseminated on recent changes to the Mexican tariff schedule. The new circular says some tariff rate increases from 20 percent to 25 percent on goods of chapters 61, 62 and 63 will take effect May 6, not April 11 as it previously reported (see 1904110057), and remain in effect for 180 days. The circular was posted by the trade consultancy AJR Mexico.
The Mexico Secretariat of Economy issued two notices April 10 amending the Mexican tariff schedule and making related changes to the PROSEC sectoral promotion and IMMEX maquiladora programs. Notably, the notices reverse tariff cuts previously implemented for footwear, textiles and apparel in February. The changes were detailed in two circulars issued by the Mexican Confederation of Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) the following day and posted by Mexican consultancy AJR Foreign Trade.
Near North Customs Brokers acquired two Canadian brokerages within the last month, the company said in an emailed news release. "Alliance Border Services of Delta, B.C., and ISL Customs Broker, a division of Island Shipping Ltd., of Nanaimo, B.C., were both acquired within weeks of each other" as part of a "strategic push to further strengthen its portfolio and reach across British Columbia," Near North said. Terms of the deals weren't released. All employees of Alliance Border Services and ISL employees joined Near North Customs, it said. ISL will continue to "function under its own name out of Nanaimo, a highly strategic location in the customs brokerage arena."
The Mexican Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit issued a notice April 10 amending its tax regulations related to the labeling of alcoholic beverages. According to a circular issued by the Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM), among the changes are new provisions on the digital printing of labels that must be adhered to alcoholic beverages, as well as on how to obtain them. The amended regulations also now include provisions on circumstances under which labelers may be prohibited from using digitally printed labels.