TradeLane

Have you heard that U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP), will begin accepting applications from exporters for participation in the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program?  If your company is already a certified C-TPAT importer in good standing, your company is well on its way to becoming a C-TPAT exporter and can apply for the exporter program – simply update your profile in the portal.    

The C-TPAT exporter program provides the opportunity to partner with CBP to get a head start  in ensuring your overall corporate compliance program is up to par and receive  some additional benefits in the process, including:

First I would like to say ‘Hello!’ to all of the TradeLane readers, this is my first post here but will certainly not be the last. I joined Tradewin as Principal in Asia just recently and am really excited to be here!

When I travel to the US or the EU I am often asked to provide some thoughts on managing trade compliance in Asia. This is a bit difficult thing to do because there are of course an awful lot of countries in Asia (anywhere between 25-75 depending on what you count as ‘Asia’). And of course each country has its own unique set of trade regulations and practices that may or may not be similar to what exist elsewhere in the region or in the world.  Still, if we limit ‘Asia’ to the larger trading countries (say, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam), and exclude India, there are some general points that can be made that describe the environment as we experience it.

A few months back, I posed the question to you, “Do I really need a trade compliance expert?”  The overwhelming response, was that yes, in fact, I (you) do.  However, let’s dive a little deeper into some of the reasons why you need an expert.

It’s that time of year where you get out the fall or winter jacket as the temperatures begin to drop. Well at least they do in Canada. There is almost nothing better than reaching into one of the pockets and finding a 10 or 20 dollar bill. The thoughts race through your mind as you gaze upon your new found treasure. Ahh found money.

Maybe I could buy something nice for someone….

Maybe I could place a bet on my favorite team….Or better still the underdog….

Maybe I could save it for a rainy day…Nah that’s just way too sensible.

Found money can turn up in the most unlikely places. The Canadian Customs Tariff has a whole chapter dedicated to found money, but most people never think to look there. Chapter 99 is titled “Special Classifications – Commercial”. What exactly does that mean? Housed in Chapter 99 are Harmonized System (H.S.) classifications that are tied to certain conditions; for the most part a specific end use. Goods imported into Canada that are normally dutiable may have an applicable Chapter 99 classification that would render them duty free provided they meet the criteria of the Chapter 99 classification.

As seasons change, so does the make-up of your product line. If you are an apparel company, last season’s shorts and tee shirts can turn into next season's flannel underwear and parkas. Maybe you work for a technology company and the cases you make for last season’s hot phone have become less in demand since the new model came out.

So, what happens to all that unsold merchandise? Do you recycle it? Do you throw it in the dumpster in the warehouse? Does it get used for kindling at your company’s annual fall cookout? Bottom line, are you recovering any import duty on that unused merchandise that you are destroying? There’s an ‘app’ for that. Apply for Duty Drawback privileges on destroyed merchandise.