Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
U.S. to focus on unclogging Canada-U.S. land border crossings
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has agreed to examine the possibility of opening U.S. customs facilities within Canada to help speed trade across the nations' land borders, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said Wednesday.
Following meetings with the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Van Loan said he had "gained a commitment" to open talks aimed at unclogging Canada-U.S. land border crossings by pre-clearing vehicles in advance of their arrival at the boundary.
"The arrival of the Obama administration presents us with an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the United States, and I believe we are doing that," Van Loan told reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
Canada has long sought to win U.S. support for land border pre-clearance facilities for commercial vehicles, similar to those already open in most major airports for air passengers. The Bush administration rejected the idea, but "we did gain a commitment today to examine that issue again," Van Loan said.
The minister said he suggested Canadian and U.S. officials examine the possibility of a pilot project along the Detroit-Windsor corridor because "that's a particular choke point" for cross-border trade.
Van Loan and Napolitano also agreed to hold twice-yearly meetings, for the first time formalizing regular cabinet level contacts to deal with potential border security irritants.
"This is a very significant and positive development for Canada," Van Loan said. "It is a mechanism that has been absent to date."
Van Loan also met with John Brennan, President Barack Obama's assistant on homeland security, and Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate homeland security committee.
While the minister said he discussed a range of issues with his American counterparts, Van Loan acknowledged he did not raise one of the biggest irritants between Canada and the former Bush administration — the U.S treatment of Maher Arar.
"I did not canvas that issue today," Van Loan said.
The Harper government had regularly protested the Bush administration's decision to keep Arar on a no-fly list despite being cleared in Canada of any connections to terror.
"I'm happy to raise it again in the future," Van Loan said when asked why he did not press Arar's case with the new administration. "We have raised it in the past. We're familiar with the American position on it, and we'll see if that changes."
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/focus+unclogging+Canada+land+border+crossings/1402891/story.html
Following meetings with the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Van Loan said he had "gained a commitment" to open talks aimed at unclogging Canada-U.S. land border crossings by pre-clearing vehicles in advance of their arrival at the boundary.
"The arrival of the Obama administration presents us with an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the United States, and I believe we are doing that," Van Loan told reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.
Canada has long sought to win U.S. support for land border pre-clearance facilities for commercial vehicles, similar to those already open in most major airports for air passengers. The Bush administration rejected the idea, but "we did gain a commitment today to examine that issue again," Van Loan said.
The minister said he suggested Canadian and U.S. officials examine the possibility of a pilot project along the Detroit-Windsor corridor because "that's a particular choke point" for cross-border trade.
Van Loan and Napolitano also agreed to hold twice-yearly meetings, for the first time formalizing regular cabinet level contacts to deal with potential border security irritants.
"This is a very significant and positive development for Canada," Van Loan said. "It is a mechanism that has been absent to date."
Van Loan also met with John Brennan, President Barack Obama's assistant on homeland security, and Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate homeland security committee.
While the minister said he discussed a range of issues with his American counterparts, Van Loan acknowledged he did not raise one of the biggest irritants between Canada and the former Bush administration — the U.S treatment of Maher Arar.
"I did not canvas that issue today," Van Loan said.
The Harper government had regularly protested the Bush administration's decision to keep Arar on a no-fly list despite being cleared in Canada of any connections to terror.
"I'm happy to raise it again in the future," Van Loan said when asked why he did not press Arar's case with the new administration. "We have raised it in the past. We're familiar with the American position on it, and we'll see if that changes."
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
http://www.vancouversun.com/news/focus+unclogging+Canada+land+border+crossings/1402891/story.html
Friday, February 20, 2009
Duty Calculator(s)
One of the most common questions we see is "Do you have a Duty Calculator" or "Do you have a Duty and Tax Calculator?"
The answer is - YES - we do. We actually have a number of different Duty & Tax Calculators.
The main one is located here - http://aacb.com/tools/dutytax.asp
This lets you calculate the duties and taxes on a shipment entering Canada from anywhere in the world. You select a number of different parameters, including Customs specific item categories, the shipping date (to calculate Customs Exchange Rate), and, voila, you can see how much your shipment into Canada will cost you.
We also have a calculator that tells you the cost of importing a car or vehicle into Canada. I wrote about that early last year.
We offer a calculator for eBay items if you are a Canadian looking to import. That can be found here.
Lastly, and certainly not least - we built a calculator to determine what duties and taxes are on wine being imported into Canada. The Wine duty & tax calculator can be found here.
If you're interested in calculating duty and do not see what you're looking for here - please contact us toll free 1.800.663.4270 or at consulting@aacb.com - and we will answer your questions, free of charge.
We're always looking for your feedback, so if you have any suggestions for changes or updates, please let me know.
The answer is - YES - we do. We actually have a number of different Duty & Tax Calculators.
The main one is located here - http://aacb.com/tools/dutytax.asp
This lets you calculate the duties and taxes on a shipment entering Canada from anywhere in the world. You select a number of different parameters, including Customs specific item categories, the shipping date (to calculate Customs Exchange Rate), and, voila, you can see how much your shipment into Canada will cost you.
We also have a calculator that tells you the cost of importing a car or vehicle into Canada. I wrote about that early last year.
We offer a calculator for eBay items if you are a Canadian looking to import. That can be found here.
Lastly, and certainly not least - we built a calculator to determine what duties and taxes are on wine being imported into Canada. The Wine duty & tax calculator can be found here.
If you're interested in calculating duty and do not see what you're looking for here - please contact us toll free 1.800.663.4270 or at consulting@aacb.com - and we will answer your questions, free of charge.
We're always looking for your feedback, so if you have any suggestions for changes or updates, please let me know.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tariff Relief on Machinery and Equipment
Happy New Year!
There was some great news for our Machinery and Equipment clients in Canada's Economic Action Plan - 2009 Budget. There are over 200 tariff's that are affected, and we are working diligently here at A & A to ensure your items will receive the lowest possible duty rates under these new changes. More information is provided below. If you have any questions, please contact our Consulting Team at consulting@aacb.com
Providing over $440 million in savings for Canadian industry over the next five years by permanently eliminating tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment.
Tariff Relief on Machinery and Equipment
With almost 90 per cent of all imports entering the country duty free, Canada is one of the world's most open economies. Still, tariffs continue to apply on several goods imported from outside North America, including certain machinery and equipment used by Canadian industry.
Budget 2009 proposes to permanently eliminate tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment. This measure will lower costs for Canadian producers in a variety of sectors, such as forestry, energy and food processing, which must purchase specialized equipment from overseas to modernize their operations and enhance competitiveness. This measure will affect close to $2 billion in annual imports of machinery and equipment and provide over $440 million in savings for Canadian industry over the next five years. The Government will undertake further consultations with Canadian businesses to identify additional areas where tariff relief could be provided.
Budget 2009 will also take steps to facilitate the movement of goods by improving the Customs Tariff rules respecting the treatment of temporarily imported cargo containers, and undertake consultations with respect to further liberalizing the use of these containers in Canada.
There was some great news for our Machinery and Equipment clients in Canada's Economic Action Plan - 2009 Budget. There are over 200 tariff's that are affected, and we are working diligently here at A & A to ensure your items will receive the lowest possible duty rates under these new changes. More information is provided below. If you have any questions, please contact our Consulting Team at consulting@aacb.com
Providing over $440 million in savings for Canadian industry over the next five years by permanently eliminating tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment.
Tariff Relief on Machinery and Equipment
With almost 90 per cent of all imports entering the country duty free, Canada is one of the world's most open economies. Still, tariffs continue to apply on several goods imported from outside North America, including certain machinery and equipment used by Canadian industry.
Budget 2009 proposes to permanently eliminate tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment. This measure will lower costs for Canadian producers in a variety of sectors, such as forestry, energy and food processing, which must purchase specialized equipment from overseas to modernize their operations and enhance competitiveness. This measure will affect close to $2 billion in annual imports of machinery and equipment and provide over $440 million in savings for Canadian industry over the next five years. The Government will undertake further consultations with Canadian businesses to identify additional areas where tariff relief could be provided.
Budget 2009 will also take steps to facilitate the movement of goods by improving the Customs Tariff rules respecting the treatment of temporarily imported cargo containers, and undertake consultations with respect to further liberalizing the use of these containers in Canada.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Happy Holidays!
This is the season where we get together with family and friends and relax and enjoy.
It's also a fun time to learn about your family heritage. In the last year or so, I have found a great online program for connecting our family even closer.
The website is called Geni.com. You can quickly build your family tree and connect with relatives near an far.
One of the favourite features within our family is the Birthday reminder. The program will email you when there are Birthdays, anniversaries, etc., in your family - so you can send them a Birthday greeting.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
I hope you have a safe and happy holiday!
Graham Jr.
It's also a fun time to learn about your family heritage. In the last year or so, I have found a great online program for connecting our family even closer.
The website is called Geni.com. You can quickly build your family tree and connect with relatives near an far.
One of the favourite features within our family is the Birthday reminder. The program will email you when there are Birthdays, anniversaries, etc., in your family - so you can send them a Birthday greeting.
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
I hope you have a safe and happy holiday!
Graham Jr.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
New online Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States
USITC Introduces HTS Online Reference Tool
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) introduced the development of the new HTS Online Reference Tool. Managed by the USITC, the new tool will be a single source of information for importers, brokers, carriers and the government.
The HTS Online Reference Tool will provide:
• Complete legal text and notes;
• The most current U.S. tariff rates;
• Interactive access and searches;
• Direct links to classification rulings;
• Quick searches by word, word combinations or HTS number;
• Direct links to footnotes;
The system will provide access to the most current rulings. Users will be able to jump directly from a specific HTS item to the Customs Ruling Online Search System (CROSS) for determinations on product classification for that HTS item.
The tool also provides thesaurus capability and the ability to use synonyms, such as “doll” instead of “toys”. Using XML software, the ITC will be able to quickly update the HTS for changes such as Free Trade Agreements and duty rate reductions.
Try it out here.
I am interested in your feedback on this tool and if you find it useful.
Please email me at president@aacb.com with your feedback.
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) introduced the development of the new HTS Online Reference Tool. Managed by the USITC, the new tool will be a single source of information for importers, brokers, carriers and the government.
The HTS Online Reference Tool will provide:
• Complete legal text and notes;
• The most current U.S. tariff rates;
• Interactive access and searches;
• Direct links to classification rulings;
• Quick searches by word, word combinations or HTS number;
• Direct links to footnotes;
The system will provide access to the most current rulings. Users will be able to jump directly from a specific HTS item to the Customs Ruling Online Search System (CROSS) for determinations on product classification for that HTS item.
The tool also provides thesaurus capability and the ability to use synonyms, such as “doll” instead of “toys”. Using XML software, the ITC will be able to quickly update the HTS for changes such as Free Trade Agreements and duty rate reductions.
Try it out here.
I am interested in your feedback on this tool and if you find it useful.
Please email me at president@aacb.com with your feedback.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Updated A & A Racing Page
A & A spends a lot of time at various car shows, automotive events, drag strips, etc.
Many people ask about our connection to all things vehicle related. So, we decided to update our Racing web page a bit and add some more information about the history all the way to the most current events that we are involved with.
Check it out here - http://www.aacb.com/racing/
Many people ask about our connection to all things vehicle related. So, we decided to update our Racing web page a bit and add some more information about the history all the way to the most current events that we are involved with.
Check it out here - http://www.aacb.com/racing/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
