Determining the correct classification of goods is arguably paramount to any good trade compliance program. However, many companies misclassify their goods at an astonishing rate. While this may be good for business for trade compliance consultants like myself, it isn’t good when it comes time for our client’s Customs audits. Let’s dig into some best […]
President Trump signed the Phase 1 Agreement with China on January 15, 2020. As part of the agreement, China has pledged to purchase $200 billion worth of goods and services over the next two years – this would be a 50% increase from the current levels. The $200 billion worth of goods and services are […]
On Jan. 1, 2020 the Japan-United States Free Trade Agreement went into effect. The agreement provides duty-free, or reduced duty treatment, for certain Japanese imports into the U.S. and certain U.S. exports to Japan. The implementation details were printed in the Federal Register on Dec. 30, 2019 (84 FR 72187). The implementation was actually a […]
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data shows that between the years 2000 and 2018, seizures of counterfeit goods at U.S. borders have increased 10-fold, from 3,244 seizures per year to 33,810. In response to this surge, in April of last year, the Trump Administration published its Memorandum on Combating Trafficking in Counterfeit and Pirated Goods, prioritizing […]
While the United States Trade Representative is currently inundated with Section 301 exclusion requests, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Security Division’s (NSD) recent update could be encouraging an influx of voluntary self-disclosures (VSDs) to the U.S. export agencies and the DOJ in the near future. NSD has recently released a revised policy for companies […]
On Friday, January 31, 2020, President Trump issued an executive order reiterating the policy of the United States regarding persons who facilitate imports of merchandise in direct violation of Federal laws and calling for the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue a notice of proposed rule-making to establish criteria an importer must meet before obtaining […]
On January 6, 2020, BIS published an interim final rule adding “software specially designed to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery” to the EAR and requiring a license to export and re-export such items to all countries, with the exception of Canada. This rule classifies “software specially designed to automate the analysis of geospatial imagery” […]
By: Vicky Wu, Senior Associate Attorney and Megan Mohler, Associate Attorney, BLG ‘Twas the night before merger and all through the office, not an associate was sleeping not even the bosses. The diligence was due, and the T’s were crossed but (oh no) the I’s were not dotted! One of the biggest concerns for companies in mergers and […]
By: Judy Davis, Senior Trade Advisor, Braumiller Consulting Group It’s a matter of “Much ado about something. . .”Make no mistake – denied party screening applies to you. Don’t gamble with your export privileges by thinking “one size fits all” when it comes to screening. Instead, consider the principle of “screening smart”. Take into account your […]
The Mexican Congress has approved the Tax Reform Bill of 2020. It affects various provisions of the income tax, value added tax and the federal tax code. The purpose of the tax reform was to comply and align Mexican tax law with recommendations of the OECD. In this alert we focus on the provisions of […]
For anyone in the aerospace, defense, and export control markets, you have undoubtedly been faced with the question on cyber-security compliance. This form of compliance most often surfaces if you’re dealing in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”), where the certification of compliance is required through systems such as EXOSTAR, which is the predominate […]
As we bring another year in trade to a close obviously the main question one could ask is, will China and the U.S. be able to follow through in 2020 now that Phase 1 has been agreed upon just in time for Christmas. In Phase 1 China has agreed to make changes to their economic […]