Your Broker Knows Blog

What is a tariff? In today’s world, a tariff is a tax enforced by the US federal government to protect domestic industries against environmental, safety and competitive threats. Tariff codes apply to goods imported from a foreign market, which is where the Harmonized System (HS) comes into play.

Last week we looked at CBSA Valuation in Canada. This week let’s switch gears and head south to look at CBP Valuation. Customs valuation, also known in the US as customs appraisement, is an important topic on both sides of the border. While most companies spend considerable time and resources preparing for tax audits, it’s equally important that the same amount of effort be dedicated to customs appraisement. The laws between countries can be quite different in some ways and yet very similar in others.

The sun’s out so we’re out. Whether you are getting a workout in while traveling to the office or just hitting the trails for pleasure, you may have seen one of those snazzy electric bikes. They are all the rage, but have you ever wondered… if I buy an eBike online from another country, how do I import it? In this blog, we will walk you through everything you need to know to bring your new bike into the US.

As any US importer knows, a tariff is a customs duty, an import tax imposed by the US federal government upon many goods imported into the Customs Territory of the US (the 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico). Historically, governments have used tariffs as a primary means of collecting revenue. Today, other kinds of taxes – like income and sales taxes – account for most government revenue in developed countries, although tariffs can be significant with respect to certain categories of imported items. Tariffs are now primarily employed by governments to protect domestic industries or as leverage in foreign trade negotiations and disputes. In this blog, we will take a look at the history of US Tariffs and how they play a significant role in trade negotiations and the economy.

Cargo preclearance is an arrangement between two countries that allows Customs and Immigration officers from the country of destination to be located in the country of origin. These officers then clear or deny the admission of goods prior to entry into the destination country.

If you are a part of a large organization that sources your goods globally, you may run into a common problem: How can our Certificate of Origin (COO) be managed efficiently? Who is responsible for ensuring they are up to date? Where should the information be stored? How often should it be reviewed?

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is serious about commercial import invoices. The commercial import invoice is used when the agency determines if the duties, taxes and fees involved with goods imported into the US were declared correctly by the importer. Because the exporter-created document contains all the pertinent information related to the import shipment, the commercial import invoice is required for clearance by CBP in a form that comports with agency requirements, which can be found in Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations (aka CBP regulations).

Entry Type 86 is a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) entry type for goods valued under $800 USD - previously allowed under what is commonly known as a Section 321. These are filed on the ACE manifest without a formal Customs entry, provided there were no entry restrictions. Entry Type 86 shipments are not required to pay duties and taxes and as a result, an entry bond is not required. This is an appealing option for many businesses. Keep reading to understand how Entry Type 86 will affect Section 321 shipments.

In an effort to combat human rights injustices, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may issue a Withhold Release Order (WRO) for certain goods. We recently saw this with textiles and apparel manufactured from cotton grown in the Xinjiang Province in China, which also grows some of the best cotton in the world. However, 85% of the cotton grown and harvested in China comes from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, using forced and/or child labor.

Duty drawback is a basic principle of US international trade law. Simply put, the process of drawback allows 99% of import taxes or duties, along with other taxes and fees paid on imported merchandise, to be refunded upon the exportation of those items subject to drawback provisions under the law. This refund is available to you even if another party did the importing. More than $600 million is recovered annually through the US duty drawback program, and companies are reportedly paying 20% of those refunds to service providers to help them get refunds from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency which administers the program. CBP believes that up to 85% of potential refunds go unclaimed each year.