In normal times, the Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) conducts verifications (audits) of importers to ensure that they are in compliance with Canadian customs laws (e.g., origin, tariff classification, valuation, etc.). On March 26, 2020, we received the following notification from a CBSA Trade Compliance Officer with whom we are engaged on a file:
“Due
On March 16, 2020, the Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) issued Customs Notice 20-08 “Imported Goods for Emergency Use in Response to COVID-19”, which discusses the circumstances where customs duty and goods and services tax (“GST”) /harmonized sales tax (“HST”) and excise tax relief will be granted for goods imported into Canada that will
The original Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (known as the “CIFTA”) entered into effect on January 1, 1997. It was a limited free trade agreement. The CIFTA was previously amended on July 5, 2002 and November 1, 2003. On May 28, 2018, Canada and Israel again amended the CIFTA by signing the Canada-Israel Free Trade Amending
Direct sellers (also known as network sellers) enter the lucrative Canadian market, often without asking questions about whether there are any Canadian laws they should know about. Canadians sign up as independent sales contractors and start to build their sales networks before all questions are asked and answers are received about compliance with Canadian laws.
The Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) conducts verifications (also known as audits) to verify compliance with Canadian customs laws. Importers self-report relevant and detailed information about their imports either directly or through customs brokers. The CBSA conducts verifications to ensure that the information is correct and that the importer has paid the correct amount of
On May 10, 2019, the Canada Border Services Agency (“CBSA”) posted Customs Notice 19-08 “Final Safeguard Measures on the Importation of Certain Steel Goods”. Effective May 13, 2019, Canada will impose definitive safeguard duties on Heavy Plate and Stainless Steel Wire for a period of 3 years. Canada is imposing tariff rate quotas
At midnight, the United States increased tariff rates on many goods from China from 10% to 25% (referred to as the “U.S. Trump Tariffs”). The U.S. Trump Tariffs are a form of customs duty that is payable by the importer and is passed on to U.S. consumers.
As a result of the new higher U.S.
Late in the evening on September 30, 2018, the United States, Canada and Mexico announced the conclusion of negotiations of the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (”USMCA”) (also known as NAFTA 2.0). While the text of USMCA remains to be finalized, formally signed and ratified by each of the three countries, a preliminary
On May 30, 2018, Canada’s Minister of Finance announced new marking rules for steel and aluminum products. In a News Release entitled “Canada Bolsters Prevention of Transshipment and Diversion of Steel and Aluminum Products Through Country of Origin Marking Regime“, the Department of Finance announced that Canada was aligning its marking rules with
Originally published by the Journal of Commerce in April 2018
The brewing trade war between the U.S. and China serves as a reminder to international traders that knowing where your goods are made and being able to prove it are two very different issues. At a time when it remains common place for U.S. Customs