TradeLane

I originally wrote this blog back in 2013 and it’s as important now as it was then. The landscape has changed a little, with NAFTA now front and center, but good trade compliance is still good business!

When your organization is faced with compliance issues that never seem to go away, an objective review by a third party may allow your company to focus on the aspects of the business that you do best. Importers and exporters are held accountable for compliance with Customs requirements, and must use “reasonable care” in their international trade processes.

What does this mean, and how do you know when it’s time to engage a trade compliance expert?

A Rose by Any Other Name, or The Lack Thereof

For Shakespeare, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet; perhaps for lovers too. This, though, isn’t a love most customs authorities share, and for good reason.  Unfortunately, most businesses find themselves so heavily tied up with the “big ticket items” on the trade compliance pyramid that prioritising quality trade descriptions often becomes an afterthought.

Not to be downplayed, countries like the Philippines have strict customs rules regulating goods description where importers potentially face criminal sanctions and customs brokers risk suspension of their licenses for the offense of insufficient goods description on customs entry documents.

International affairs is on top of everyone's mind these days, especially as a new US administration transitions into power.  Questions about trade agreement, tariffs, and foreign policy swirl, and while no one has the ability to see into the future, a look at the actors, some of their statements, and some of the law behind it all may help companies at least prepare for the future state.

It is our 20^th anniversary here at Tradewin.

Can you believe it?

I think if you asked any of us here 20 years ago what Tradewin and the rest of the world would look like today, many would be amazed.

While releasing his National Security Presidential Memorandum on Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba, President Trump’s June 16^th remarks purported to scale back the historic rapprochement the Obama Administration had put in motion during the last two years of that presidency.

However, it may be too soon to tell if anything substantive will truly change in our dealings with the island nation.