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.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
November 2008 Economic Digest - Importing and Exporting
November 2008 Edition
FREEZERS
Shoppers are re-embracing the freezer stashing bulk-sized purchases of meats, fruits and vegetables as they try to combat rising food prices. Across the US, shoppers bought more than 1.1-million freezers in the first six months of 2008, up more than seven per cent from the same period last year. This represents US$400-million in freezer sales, a staggering figure compared with the rest of the home appliance sector, where industry data shows shipments are down nearly eight per cent.
RESEARCH
It is estimated that companies performing industrial research and development in Canada will have spent C$16.3 billion by the end of 2008, slightly up from 2007. Expenditure by the information and communications technologies sector is expected to have reached $6.2 billion, about 40 per cent of the total. Spending by the health sector is expected to represent 10 per cent. Industrial R&D spending is highest in Ontario and Quebec.
BARRELS
Across the U.S., crooks are stealing stainless steel kegs as the price of scrap has doubled in the past five years. The Washington-based Beer Institute estimates that 300,000 kegs were stolen in 2007 at a loss of US$50-million.
ECO-COSTS
At a recent food packaging conference, scientists proposed that food packaging could be embedded with computer chips that instantly link your phone to an on-line sustainable food guide. The guides would help consumers navigate their way through the ethical and ecological decisions about what they eat. The information would include such things as how much energy and water are used to produce each calorie of food, what is the impact of the food item on climate, biodiversity and what are the health and financial costs of the food.
MESSAGING
Text messaging is the most widely used mobile data service on the planet with almost two billion active users. In 2007, there were over ten billion text messages sent in Canada, up from just over four billion in 2006. Over 40 per cent of cell phone owners use text messaging.
TRAINS
Amtrak carried more than 25.8-million passengers in its fiscal year to September 30, 2007. Rising costs of travelling brought on by high oil prices drew a record 2.8-million cash-strapped passengers this past July, the largest of any single month in Amtrak's 37-year history. However, total passengers equal less than one per cent of the travelling US public. In contrast, Britain, France and Germany all have passenger rail systems that account for about seven per cent of total annual passenger travel miles.
WASTE
According to the state auditor, China's government departments misused, embezzled or mismanaged more than US$6.7-billion in 2007. Offenses included using disaster relief funds to build government offices. Bejing authorities admit that fighting corruption is one of their key tasks. Previous crackdowns have failed and critics believe that without an enquiring free press and an independent judiciary, corruption in China will continue to spread.
COMPETITIVENESS
According to the Global Urban Competitiveness Project, New York is the world's most competitive city. The study ranks 500 cities on their ability to attract and use resources to generate wealth. The cities are assessed on nine measures, including income, economic growth, innovation, jobs, prices and the presence of multinational companies. London, Tokyo, Paris and Washington, DC were the second, third, fourth and fifth cities. Toronto was eleventh.
POPULATION
Britain will overtake Germany and France to become the biggest country in the European Union in 50 year's time according to recently published population projections. The impact of population shrinkage, coupled with the aging of key European societies, spells big problems for pensions, health and welfare systems across the union. Immigration is singled out as the only mitigating factor, seen as crucial to maintaining population growth. The survey predicts that Britain's population by 2060 will grow by 25 per cent from 61 million to just over 77 million.
POINTS
At the end of 2007 the worldwide accumulated, unredeemed frequent flyer points were 17 trillion with a value of US$289-billion. In 2007, 307,000 people became mileage millionaires. However, 37-billion points expired due to rule changes. 17 per cent of air miles are never redeemed.
SUPPLEMENTS
It is estimated that despite today's tough economy, the US market for vitamins, minerals, homeopathic and herbals will jump 39 per cent between 2008 and 2012 to reach US$8.5-billion. A factor contributing to increased sales is the success of products that target a specific health condition. For instance, age-related treatments, gender- and kid- targeted products and supplements cashing in on food and beverage trends.
DINING
Technomic, a food service consultant, reports that one-third of US consumers say they are eating out or buying meals out less frequently than a year ago. Money reasons dominate the reasons for decreased patronage; 77 per cent of those cutting back are doing so to save money, while 59 per cent say they have less money to spend and 46 per cent cited the price of restaurant meals.
WAL-MART
The world's largest retailer is to invest some US$1.8-billion to expand in Brazil. It will open between 80 and 90 stores in 2009 in Latin America's largest country. Wal-Mart already has 318 stores there employing a workforce of 70,000. Wal-Mart has also applied to the Canadian government for official bank status, a move that would alow the retail giant to expand financial services throughout Canada.
MUSTARD
A drought in Europe and a rising demand for mustard in food processing have doubled the price of mustard seeds in the past two years. Canada is a mustard superpower, producing over two-thirds of the world's mustard seeds, 98 per cent of it on the Prairies. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, last year Canada exported 168,000 tonnes, worth C$93.2-million, up from $62.7-million in 2006. The US takes 43 per cent of the seeds with sausage-mad Belgium and Germany accounting for another 15 per cent and Japan 6 per cent.
JOBS
Companies are stepping up environmental activities and that could mean a boom in "green-collar" jobs. A recent forecast by the American Solar Energy Society found that renewable-energy and energy-efficient industries were responsible for the creation of nearly 8.5-million jobs in 2006, and, by 2030, that number is expected to reach 40-million.
TRANSPORT
Some are suggesting that the high cost of oil could reverse the great migration of manufacturing jobs to China. The cost of shipping a 40-foot container from Shanghai to America's east coast has jumped from around US$3,000 in 2000 to about $8,000 today. The extra cost of shipping goods around the world is wiping out the often slim margins of Chinese exporters. If oil and shipping prices stay high it may make more sense for Western companies that outsource their production to shift production closer to the customers at home.
MONEY
One of the most exclusive groups of billionaires has tripled its ranks this year. The number of billionaire women under the age of 40 jumped to seven from just two a year earlier, bringing the number of women under 50 with 10-figure fortunes to 20.
DRINKS
In international markets, alcoholic ciders and vodkas showed growth of 14 per cent and 11 per cent respectively in 2007, making them the highest-growth alcoholic beverage categories around the world. For cider, Great Britain was the primary driver with a 26 per cent growth rate, in what is a billion dollar market. Vodka was fuelled by many markets. Russia had a seven per cent increase followed by Poland and Western Europe. Meanwhile, beer's lead over wine and spirits in the States has returned to double-digits for the first time since 2002.
TEETH
Tests on American schoolchildren showed giving them gummy bears three times a day reduced the amount of plaque bacteria that are known to cause tooth decay. The gummy bears contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is already used in chewing gum that is marketed as good for teeth.
MICE
It's nearly 40 year old but a leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered. A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the mouse in the next three to five years. Taking over will be the so called gestural computer mechanisms like the touch screen and facial recognition devices.
SYRUP
A serious shortage of maple syrup is looming after the second year of bad harvests throughout parts of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Producers from Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes have reported severe weather related problems. Quebec, the largest producer in the world, has generated barely half its usual supply and is running low on reserve stock to ship. The bulk price for a 32-gallon barrel back in December was C$1,000, it is now $1,500.
BEER
According to a German study, China is now the world's top beer-producing country. China produced 22 per cent of the global beer supply last year, brewing nearly 394 million hectolitres, while total global beer production was 1.8-billion hectolitres. Germany, which has the highest per-capita beer consumption saw beer production fall two per cent to 105-million hectolitres, placing it fourth among brewing countries behind China, the U.S. and Russia.
SPACE
A British designer has invented a sportscar that folds in half to allow drivers to park on cramped city streets. The BRB Evolution jacks up on its nose with its back wheels sliding underneath on two rollers. The car runs on hydro or hydrogen fuels and has been described as looking like a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
AUTHENTICITY
French scientists have devised a way of using particle accelerators to authenticate vintage wines. The new method tests the age of the glass in wine bottles by analyzing X-rays emitted when bottles are placed under ion beams produced by particle accelerators. This enables the age of the bottles and their origin to be verified and thus the vintage to be authenticated.
BOOKS
Readers will soon be able to have books printed to order while they wait, thanks to a machine due in UK bookshops within the next few months. The device, dubbed the ATM of books, will offer around one million titles, including many that have been out of print for years. Customers select the title they want and a printed and bound paperback will be ready in about seven minutes. The 9ft by 5ft machines have already been installed in some US stores. However, with a set-up fee of around $100 and a 10 cents a page charge, books will be rather costly.
Thank you for reading the A & A Economic News Digest. For more information visit our website www.aacb.com or contact A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. at strehler@aacb.com.
Past issues of the A&A Economic News Digest can be found at http://www.aacb.com/publications/ed/index.asp
Shoppers are re-embracing the freezer stashing bulk-sized purchases of meats, fruits and vegetables as they try to combat rising food prices. Across the US, shoppers bought more than 1.1-million freezers in the first six months of 2008, up more than seven per cent from the same period last year. This represents US$400-million in freezer sales, a staggering figure compared with the rest of the home appliance sector, where industry data shows shipments are down nearly eight per cent.
RESEARCH
It is estimated that companies performing industrial research and development in Canada will have spent C$16.3 billion by the end of 2008, slightly up from 2007. Expenditure by the information and communications technologies sector is expected to have reached $6.2 billion, about 40 per cent of the total. Spending by the health sector is expected to represent 10 per cent. Industrial R&D spending is highest in Ontario and Quebec.
BARRELS
Across the U.S., crooks are stealing stainless steel kegs as the price of scrap has doubled in the past five years. The Washington-based Beer Institute estimates that 300,000 kegs were stolen in 2007 at a loss of US$50-million.
ECO-COSTS
At a recent food packaging conference, scientists proposed that food packaging could be embedded with computer chips that instantly link your phone to an on-line sustainable food guide. The guides would help consumers navigate their way through the ethical and ecological decisions about what they eat. The information would include such things as how much energy and water are used to produce each calorie of food, what is the impact of the food item on climate, biodiversity and what are the health and financial costs of the food.
MESSAGING
Text messaging is the most widely used mobile data service on the planet with almost two billion active users. In 2007, there were over ten billion text messages sent in Canada, up from just over four billion in 2006. Over 40 per cent of cell phone owners use text messaging.
TRAINS
Amtrak carried more than 25.8-million passengers in its fiscal year to September 30, 2007. Rising costs of travelling brought on by high oil prices drew a record 2.8-million cash-strapped passengers this past July, the largest of any single month in Amtrak's 37-year history. However, total passengers equal less than one per cent of the travelling US public. In contrast, Britain, France and Germany all have passenger rail systems that account for about seven per cent of total annual passenger travel miles.
WASTE
According to the state auditor, China's government departments misused, embezzled or mismanaged more than US$6.7-billion in 2007. Offenses included using disaster relief funds to build government offices. Bejing authorities admit that fighting corruption is one of their key tasks. Previous crackdowns have failed and critics believe that without an enquiring free press and an independent judiciary, corruption in China will continue to spread.
COMPETITIVENESS
According to the Global Urban Competitiveness Project, New York is the world's most competitive city. The study ranks 500 cities on their ability to attract and use resources to generate wealth. The cities are assessed on nine measures, including income, economic growth, innovation, jobs, prices and the presence of multinational companies. London, Tokyo, Paris and Washington, DC were the second, third, fourth and fifth cities. Toronto was eleventh.
POPULATION
Britain will overtake Germany and France to become the biggest country in the European Union in 50 year's time according to recently published population projections. The impact of population shrinkage, coupled with the aging of key European societies, spells big problems for pensions, health and welfare systems across the union. Immigration is singled out as the only mitigating factor, seen as crucial to maintaining population growth. The survey predicts that Britain's population by 2060 will grow by 25 per cent from 61 million to just over 77 million.
POINTS
At the end of 2007 the worldwide accumulated, unredeemed frequent flyer points were 17 trillion with a value of US$289-billion. In 2007, 307,000 people became mileage millionaires. However, 37-billion points expired due to rule changes. 17 per cent of air miles are never redeemed.
SUPPLEMENTS
It is estimated that despite today's tough economy, the US market for vitamins, minerals, homeopathic and herbals will jump 39 per cent between 2008 and 2012 to reach US$8.5-billion. A factor contributing to increased sales is the success of products that target a specific health condition. For instance, age-related treatments, gender- and kid- targeted products and supplements cashing in on food and beverage trends.
DINING
Technomic, a food service consultant, reports that one-third of US consumers say they are eating out or buying meals out less frequently than a year ago. Money reasons dominate the reasons for decreased patronage; 77 per cent of those cutting back are doing so to save money, while 59 per cent say they have less money to spend and 46 per cent cited the price of restaurant meals.
WAL-MART
The world's largest retailer is to invest some US$1.8-billion to expand in Brazil. It will open between 80 and 90 stores in 2009 in Latin America's largest country. Wal-Mart already has 318 stores there employing a workforce of 70,000. Wal-Mart has also applied to the Canadian government for official bank status, a move that would alow the retail giant to expand financial services throughout Canada.
MUSTARD
A drought in Europe and a rising demand for mustard in food processing have doubled the price of mustard seeds in the past two years. Canada is a mustard superpower, producing over two-thirds of the world's mustard seeds, 98 per cent of it on the Prairies. According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, last year Canada exported 168,000 tonnes, worth C$93.2-million, up from $62.7-million in 2006. The US takes 43 per cent of the seeds with sausage-mad Belgium and Germany accounting for another 15 per cent and Japan 6 per cent.
JOBS
Companies are stepping up environmental activities and that could mean a boom in "green-collar" jobs. A recent forecast by the American Solar Energy Society found that renewable-energy and energy-efficient industries were responsible for the creation of nearly 8.5-million jobs in 2006, and, by 2030, that number is expected to reach 40-million.
TRANSPORT
Some are suggesting that the high cost of oil could reverse the great migration of manufacturing jobs to China. The cost of shipping a 40-foot container from Shanghai to America's east coast has jumped from around US$3,000 in 2000 to about $8,000 today. The extra cost of shipping goods around the world is wiping out the often slim margins of Chinese exporters. If oil and shipping prices stay high it may make more sense for Western companies that outsource their production to shift production closer to the customers at home.
MONEY
One of the most exclusive groups of billionaires has tripled its ranks this year. The number of billionaire women under the age of 40 jumped to seven from just two a year earlier, bringing the number of women under 50 with 10-figure fortunes to 20.
DRINKS
In international markets, alcoholic ciders and vodkas showed growth of 14 per cent and 11 per cent respectively in 2007, making them the highest-growth alcoholic beverage categories around the world. For cider, Great Britain was the primary driver with a 26 per cent growth rate, in what is a billion dollar market. Vodka was fuelled by many markets. Russia had a seven per cent increase followed by Poland and Western Europe. Meanwhile, beer's lead over wine and spirits in the States has returned to double-digits for the first time since 2002.
TEETH
Tests on American schoolchildren showed giving them gummy bears three times a day reduced the amount of plaque bacteria that are known to cause tooth decay. The gummy bears contain xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is already used in chewing gum that is marketed as good for teeth.
MICE
It's nearly 40 year old but a leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered. A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the mouse in the next three to five years. Taking over will be the so called gestural computer mechanisms like the touch screen and facial recognition devices.
SYRUP
A serious shortage of maple syrup is looming after the second year of bad harvests throughout parts of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. Producers from Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes have reported severe weather related problems. Quebec, the largest producer in the world, has generated barely half its usual supply and is running low on reserve stock to ship. The bulk price for a 32-gallon barrel back in December was C$1,000, it is now $1,500.
BEER
According to a German study, China is now the world's top beer-producing country. China produced 22 per cent of the global beer supply last year, brewing nearly 394 million hectolitres, while total global beer production was 1.8-billion hectolitres. Germany, which has the highest per-capita beer consumption saw beer production fall two per cent to 105-million hectolitres, placing it fourth among brewing countries behind China, the U.S. and Russia.
SPACE
A British designer has invented a sportscar that folds in half to allow drivers to park on cramped city streets. The BRB Evolution jacks up on its nose with its back wheels sliding underneath on two rollers. The car runs on hydro or hydrogen fuels and has been described as looking like a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
AUTHENTICITY
French scientists have devised a way of using particle accelerators to authenticate vintage wines. The new method tests the age of the glass in wine bottles by analyzing X-rays emitted when bottles are placed under ion beams produced by particle accelerators. This enables the age of the bottles and their origin to be verified and thus the vintage to be authenticated.
BOOKS
Readers will soon be able to have books printed to order while they wait, thanks to a machine due in UK bookshops within the next few months. The device, dubbed the ATM of books, will offer around one million titles, including many that have been out of print for years. Customers select the title they want and a printed and bound paperback will be ready in about seven minutes. The 9ft by 5ft machines have already been installed in some US stores. However, with a set-up fee of around $100 and a 10 cents a page charge, books will be rather costly.
Thank you for reading the A & A Economic News Digest. For more information visit our website www.aacb.com or contact A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. at strehler@aacb.com.
Past issues of the A&A Economic News Digest can be found at http://www.aacb.com/publications/ed/index.asp
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