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://www.borderbuddy.com

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.

February 2009 Economic Digest - Importing and Exporting

February 2009 Edition

TIME-SHARE

 
The time-share vacation home, the status symbol of the U.S. middle class symbol is taking a serious hit as consumer credit has dried up. One of the largest time-share companies is cutting 4,000 jobs as it shrinks its time-share business and expects 2009 sales to be US$1.2-billion, down from $2-billion in 2008. Time share sales in the U.S. grew from about $2.7-billion in 1997 to $10.7-billion in 2007.

WINE

A bumper harvest has pushed Italian wine production above that of neighbouring France for the first time in a decade. It is estimated that the 2008 production of Italian wine is up 8 per cent over 2007 to 4.7-billion litres, compared with 4.4 billion litres in France where production fell 5 per cent.

DEVELOPMENT

America ranks 17th out of 22 rich countries in its commitment to fostering prosperity in the developing world. The Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Denmark take the top four spots thanks to the generosity of their foreign aid, relative to the size of their economies. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Canada score well by dint of good trade and security policies. Environmental, technology and migration policies count too. However, America's relatively low trade barriers, the generosity of it citizens' private aid flows and pro-poor technologies save it from last place.

CRIME

Art crime is big business and is estimated to be worth between US$1.5- and $6-billion annually. It is now the fourth largest international crime, after drug-dealing, gun-running and money laundering and is now a fully globalized industry with paintings stolen in Europe turning up in Japan or the U.S.

BORDERS

The U.S. is to build a seventh border crossing between California and Mexico by 2014 to ease chronic congestion and boost trade. The State Department has granted a permit to build a toll crossing between Otay Mesa and Tijuana at a cost of US$715-million. The current crossing at Otay Mesa handles cargo, vehicle and pedestrian traffic and is free. The new crossing will offer alternative facilities at a fee. Last year, some 79-million people crossed through California's six existing ports of entry.

BULBS

A European Union report has recommended banning conventional incandescent light bulbs by 2012 to save money and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions. The report says that the EU could save up to US$12-billion a year in energy bills by switching to low energy bulbs. The report needs the backing of the European Parliament and all 27 member states to become law.

MEDICINE

According to a federal survey of over 32,000 Americans, more than one-third of adults and nearly 12 per cent of children in the U.S. use alternatives to traditional medicine, showing how entrenched acupuncture, herbal remedies and other once-exotic therapies have become. The most commonly used are dietary supplements, and herbal products such as echinacea, flaxseed oil and ginseng.

SIZE

A UK food industry group predicts that Tesco will grow faster than Carrefour in the next four years and in 2012 will overtake the French company to become the world's second largest retailer after Wal-Mart. Tesco's growth will be spurred by international expansion in markets such as China, the U.S. and India. By 2 012, Tesco's sales are expected to reach US$157-billion annually.

STOVES

Between two-and-a-half and three billion people, nearly half the world's population, use a stove every day, in conjunction with solid fuel such as wood, dung or coal. The WHO estimates that toxic emissions from cooking stoves are responsible for causing 1.6-million premature deaths each year, half of them among children under five years old. Research on stoves in India, Guatemala and Mexico has found links between indoor air-pollution from stoves and increased incidence of pneumonia, cataracts and tuberculosis.

PROPERTY

Chinese bargain hunters are descending on American cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, where home owners have suffered some of the steepest price falls in the U.S. Property professionals say there is considerable interest among wealthy Chinese who often hold a high proportion of assets in property, in investing abroad. Restrictions on taking money out of China may be an obstacle but some potential investors have overseas connections such as a foreign passport which can make it easier.

COINS

Mexico, following the lead of several other countries, has proposed making coins smaller and using cheaper metals to keep costs low amid the financial crises and volatile metal costs. Mexico's central bank produces around 1.5-billion coins each year and estimates it could save around 200-million pesos a year. In the U.S., the U.S. penny now costs 1.2 cents to produce.

SPEED

With a price tag of between US$8,000 and $16,000 the Telsa supercomputer is beyond the reach of most consumers but it is expected to revolutionize the way scientists and medical professionals carry out their work. The gadget's power will allow doctors to process the results of brain and body scans much more quickly allowing them to give results to patients in hours rather than days as they process information 1000 times more quickly than domestic PCs.

CHICKEN

A survey of U.S. consumers show that they are reducing their consumption of red meat in favour of chicken. While the US$66-billion beef sector still rules the roost, chicken increased its sales in 2008 by 6.7 per cent, three times the overall growth rate for meat. Premium red meats have taken a hit as shoppers cut back their overall spending.

SCIENTISTS

Half a billion dollars is to be invested in training scientists and engineers to tackle the problems Britain faces in the future. The US$500-million will be used to create 44 training centres across the UK and fund more than 2,000 PhD students. It is hoped they will develop solutions to major concerns such as climate change and energy issues.

COUPONS

The faltering economy could mean renewed interest in coupons as shoppers refocus on the cost of products they buy. Coupons that offer cents off, or percentages off the price of things like groceries, clothing and restaurant meals are particularly popular when consumers need to stretch their dollars. In 2007, 89 per cent of the population in the U.S. said they used coupons, compared with 86 per cent in 2006. Complete data for 2008 is not available as yet but there are indications that the figure may be as high as 94 per cent.

LUGGAGE

It was expected that the new state-of-the-art luggage system at the US$8.5-billion Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow airport would improve performance but this is not proving to be so. British Airways came near the bottom of the table of airlines. It is 25th out of 29 airlines with 18.9 bags per thousand passengers going missing. Last summer, BA mislaid more than 17,000 bags a week. Another British carrier, BMI has been named as the European airline most likely to lose a passenger's bags with 25.5 bags being lost per thousand passengers.

MOUSE

Swiss company Logitech has hailed as a major landmark the production of its one billionth mouse which is now 40 years old. This comes at a time when analysts claim the days of the mouse are numbered. The mouse now faces tough competition as laptops and notebooks, which use a touch pad, are increasingly taking the place of the desktop computer.

SENIORS

Canada's rural population is aging faster than its urban population in terms of its share of senior citizens. Statistics Canada reports that between 1996 and 2006, the number of rural seniors increased by 19 per cent. Because of the migration of younger people to urban areas, the share of the rural population that was senior (aged 65 and over), increased by 2.1 per cent whereas the share of seniors in the predominantly urban population increased by 1.1 per cent. In 2006, for every senior in rural regions there were 4.3 people in the working-age population. However, in urban Canada, the ratio was higher at 5.6.

WATER

The journal Science reports that growing crops in salt water is becoming necessary to overcome shortages of fresh water. They suggest the domestication of wild plants that grow in salty conditions could help reduce global food shortages. The rising cost of bringing in freshwater to irrigate traditional crops may force producers to turn to salt water agriculture. Around the world, many agricultural areas are becoming less productive as salt levels in water supplies increase.

ELECTRICITY

The state of Hawaii and Hawaiian Electric have endorsed an effort to build an alternative transportation system based on electric vehicles with exchangeable batteries and an "intelligent" battery recharging network. By using existing electric car technologies, coupled with tens of thousands of recharging stations connected by the Internet, it is predicted that all-electric vehicles will become feasible. It is planned to test the program in 2009 in anticipation of a widespread rollout in 2012. Hawaii is a relatively small market with high energy costs. The state has about 1.2 million cars and replaces 70,000 to 120,000 vehicles annually.

CONGO

The Democratic Republic of Congo is struggling to recover from a lengthy civil war in which an estimated three million people have died. Since its independence in 1960, its vast mineral wealth has been a key factor in the country's civil war and instability. It has huge reserves of gold, cobalt, tantalite and cassiterite, all of which are used in the manufacture of consumer electronics raising ethical issues for consumers and manufacturers as to where components are made. Many ideas have been touted to try and identify where components have been sourced. One promising one is to use the "fingerprinting" now in place for locating where diamonds have been mined.

COLOUR

Scientists have developed purple tomatoes which they hope may be able to keep cancer at bay. The fruit are rich in an antioxidant pigment called anthocyanin which is thought to have anti-cancer properties. Anthocyanins, found in particulary high levels in berries such as blackberry, cranberry and chokeberry, have been shown to help significantly slow the growth of colon cancer cells. They are also thought to offer protection against cardiovascular disease. There is evidence that the pigments have anti-inflammatory properties and help eyesight.

CHOCOLATE

A scientist at Brock University has calculated the ages of 3,206 chocolate bars on Canadian retail store shelves. The average bar was 140 days old, or more than four and a half months. About 3.3 per cent were more than a year old. Wal-Mart and 7-Eleven had the youngest candy, which averaged 43 days less than the shelf time at six other retail chains. Products were older in summer than in fall or winter, likely because of seasonal swings in consumer demand.

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

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.

January 2009 Economic Digest - Importing and Exporting

January 2009 Edition

SPENDING

 
The Canadian government will spend an anticipated C$9.9-billion on science and technology in fiscal year 2008\2009, a decline of about three per cent from the previous year. About 63 per cent of this expenditure will go on research and development and the remaining 37 per cent to related scientific activities. Of the total, natural sciences and engineering will receive just under $7.5-billion while social sciences and humanities will get $2.4-billion.

PARKING

London is now the most expensive city in the world to park a car, eclipsing even Tokyo and New York. London's most expensive parking spot is a multi-story carpark in Knightsbridge which costs US$87.00 for a six hour stay or a monthly average of $1500 a month. The next most expensive is in the Soho area and parking in the West End will cost you about $50.00 for a morning's shopping. Leaving a camper van at Bondi Beach in Australia will cost over $30.00 for a few hours.

AEROSPACE

here are more than 400 firms active in Canada's aerospace industry employing over 82,000 people. The industry had revenues of more than C$22-billion in 2007 and was responsible for five per cent of Canada's manufacturing GDP. Over 82 per cent of Canadian aerospace products are exported.

DIGITAL

Europeana is the name of the newly-opened European digital library designed to showcase the Continent's history, literature, arts and science. So far, the site has over two million items from the 27 countries of the European Union of which over half are from France. Europeana aims to provide a unique service because it combines the digital resources of museums, libraries and archives of video and audio material. All the material is free of copyright so it can be downloaded for blogs, academic research or schoolwork by anyone with an Internet connection.

OIL

The International Energy Agency forecasts that the world's demand for primary energy will grow by 45 per cent between 2006 and 2030. The global demand for oil is expected to rise from 85 million to 106 million barrels a day. The thirst for oil among the mostly rich countries in the OECD is set to fall, so that all of the increase will come from developing economies. China will account for 43 per cent of the rise in demand, with India and the Middle East contributing about 20 per cent each.

BRANDS

Private label products are increasingly encroaching on name brands' turf as a majority of U.S. consumers are viewing store-brand items positively, accounting for more than US$81-billion in sales in the U.S., up 10 per cent in 2008 over the previous year. 72 per cent of 54,000 consumers surveyed believe store brands to be good alternatives to name brands. However, sixteen per cent of respondents maintain that store brands are not suitable when quality matters. Private label represents 16 per cent of dollar sales and 21 per cent of unit sales showing that branded products still capture the lion's share of sales.

SPEED

Supercomputers, which are a million times faster than a typical desktop PC, are still a staple in laboratories and universities in the U.S., Japan and Europe. However, the falling costs of supercomputer systems has allowed a broader range of corporations and institutions, including many in China and India, to buy them. 18 months ago, China and India lacked a single system among the 25 fastest in the world. But on the latest list of the 500 fastest computers, China nailed the No. 10 spot and has 15 of the world's fastest computers. India has the 13th fastest supercomputer, beating Japan, a longtime leader.

NUTRITION

Statistics Canada reports that beverages constitute an important component of nutrition for Canadians. Children and teenagers aged 4 to 18 get about 20 per cent of their daily intake of calories from beverages. Youngsters aged 1 to 3, account for an even higher 30 per cent. Among adults, calories derived from beverages decline steadily with age. Among people 50 and older, coffee is the most common beverage after water. About three quarters of men and women drink coffee on any given day. About 20 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women exceed the recommended maximum of 400 milligrams of caffeine each day.

E-COMMERCE

More Canadians used the Internet to purchase goods and services in 2007, placing almost C$12.8-billion worth of orders, up 61 per cent from 2005. The increase was driven by a larger volume of orders which rose from 49.4-million in 2005 to 70-million in 2007. More than 8.4-million Canadians aged over 16 made an online purchase in 2007. The top 25 per cent of online consumers who spent an average of C$5,000, were responsible for 46 per cent of orders and 78 per cent of total dollar value.

SERVICE

Hotels are under such pressure to keep up with gadget-obsessed guests that they are working with technology companies to keep their edge. Sheraton teamed with Microsoft to provide services in lobbies where guests can use public computers to check their e-mail, print boarding passes and record video greetings to send to family and friends. Westin has struck a deal with Nintendo to provide Wii consoles and games in their fitness centres.

BOLIVIA

High in the Andes, in a remote part of Bolivia lies more than half the world's reserves of a mineral that could radically reduce our reliance on dwindling fossil fuels. Lithium, already used in the batteries of laptop computers and mobile phones, allows more energy to be stored in a lighter, smaller space than most alternatives. As the auto industry rushes to produce new fuel efficient and electric cars, it too is turning to lithium batteries as its first choice to boost the power of their new models. Lithium is found in rocks and in brine under salt flats.

TRENDS

For the first time in half a century, Vatican administration staff will clock in for work as part of a clampdown on slackers. As of January 1st, all Holy See employees will be given magnetic badges and be forced to clock in and out in an effort to track their movements and ensure they are working a full day. The Holy See has 2,748 employees including lay people and priests and has also devised an evaluation system to reward hard workers and punish slackers.

DUTY-FREE

Canada's eight largest airports have joined forces to promote duty-free shops for arriving passengers, arguing the change would repatriate the C$60-million a year that Canadian travellers spend at foreign duty-free stores. Under current federal rules, departing passengers are allowed to buy goods at Canadian duty-free outlets prior to their international flights, but Ottawa bans duty-free sales for arriving travellers. The eight airports are proposing that existing duty-free shops continue operating for departing passengers but that new outlets to sell to incoming passengers be opened.

TRADE

Officials from China and Taiwan have recently signed trade deals covering direct air flights between the two historic enemies, as well as direct cargo and postal links, and food safety. The Taiwanese and Chinese economies are already heavily linked, with Taiwanese-owned manufacturers of everything from iPods and laptops to brand-name shoes running huge factories across the mainland. Until recently, all flights between the two had to travel via Hong Kong or Macau, while cargo vessels had to travel via Okinawa in Japan.

ROSES

After twenty years of scientific research, the world's first blue roses have been unveiled. The creation of blue roses, long thought to be impossible, has been masterminded by the Australian subsidiary of a Japanese firm. Their blooms have been genetically modified and have been implanted with a gene that simulates the synthesis of blue pigment in pansies. Having been cultivated for more than 5,000 years, as many as 25,000 different species of roses currently exist. The potential worldwide market for blue roses is thought to be enormous.

RECOGNITION

An international survey of 2,700 people has ranked Canada as the second-strongest national brand in the world. Australia ranked top and the U.S was eighth. Last year, Canada was sixth and 12th the year before. Canada used to sell itself strictly on moose, mountains and Mounties but the Canadian Tourism Commission is now trying for a more sophisticated approach.

FEES

As many as 190 million migrant workers sent home about US$337-billion in 2007, of which $251-billion went to developing countries. The costs of sending the money varies. On average it costs only $7.68 to send $500 from Spain to Brazil, a 1.5 per cent fee. By contrast it costs a whopping $86.41 (a charge of 17.3 per cent) to send the same amount from the Netherlands to Indonesia. Remittance costs are generally cheapest in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the U.S. and Britain and highest in Germany, the Netherlands and Japan.

AIRLINES

The biggest U.S. airlines stand to return to profitability in 2009, a stunning turnaround for an industry that appeared to be heading towards the biggest crisis in history a few months ago. A surge in fuel prices had overwhelmed airlines, draining profits and sending them to slash costs, tack on new fees and raise money from sceptical lenders. However, the recent rapid descent in oil prices, coupled with the steps carriers took to reduce expenses, has turned the industry's outlook for this year much brighter than originally forecast.

MIGRANTS

Britain's small and medium enterprises community (SME) employs about 13.5-million people and produces an annual turnover of US$2.9-billion. In 2006, just 21 per cent of SMEs had non-UK workers, last year that figure was 48 per cent. With about 40 businesses a day failing because of the recession amid a lack of credit and a downturn in demand as consumer spending is tightened, if large numbers of migrant workers decide to return home, it will have a significant impact on the economy.

SUPERSONIC

The Aerion Supersonic Jet may not have the same grace, style and size of the Concorde but its top speed of mach 1.6 could transform the way international travel is conducted. Test flights will begin in 2012 and the American company claim to already have 50 interested parties, all of whom have paid a US$300,000 deposit. The plane will be capable of flying between London and New York within three hours. The jets will be priced around US$100-million each.

FISHING

According to the World bank and FAO, up to US$50-billion is lost to poor management, inefficiency and overfishing each year in world fisheries or $2.2-trillion over the past three decades.

PETS

A Chinese firm has come up with the perfect solution for pet-loving families who don't have space to keep animals: the fish tank toilet. The clear toilet has three compartments, one for water flowing in, one for water flowing out and a third for fish and underwater plants, ensuring that the fish always have enough water to swim in and are never sucked out. They are ideal for families without the room for a bigger stand-alone fish tank or a bigger pet.

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

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.

December 2008 Economic Digest - Importing and Exporting

December 2008 Edition

BOARS

 
Wild boars are breeding at a huge rate in Germany and wreaking greater havoc than in any other European country by destroying crops, killing pets and even attacking humans. Germany's boar population rose by 320 per cent last year because of better access to food and bigger litters of young. The surge has caused the mounting destruction of crops and raised the risk of swine fever spreading.

PELTS

The number of ranch-raised pelts in Canada increased from 1,652,230 in 2006 to 1,806,050 in 2007. The value of the fur pelts increased 28 per cent to C$115-million. The value of wildlife pelts stood at $25.8-million in 2006-07, down 18 per cent from a year earlier.

WORTH

According to DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, there are now 90,000 families in the world with a net worth of more than US$360-million each. That number is expected to increase by 10 per cent over the next three years.

SUPERBUGS

Since it opened two years ago, there have been no reports of superbugs in a Bloomington, Indiana hospital despite more than 26,000 patients passing through its doors. Credit is being given to a British bacteria-killing disinfectant called Byotrol which works by killing bugs and then leaving behind a protective film which means future bacteria cannot attach themselves to the surface. Tests are presently underway in other hospitals.

HERBS

Coriander was recently named as Britain's best-selling herb. The plant now accounts for a quarter of all fresh herb sales, despite having only been grown commercially in Britain since the 1970s. Traditional favourites, basil and parsley, are second and third. The popularity of coriander is being driven by the love of curry and Asian food.

OOPS

A rare crystal jug mistakenly valued earlier in the year at US$200 has now sold for more than $6-million. The carved rock crystal pitcher, one of the most desirable works of art from the Islamic world, was believed to be a cheap French claret jug. Despite being valued as almost worthless, it fetched $440,00 at an initial auction. Fortunately for the owner, this sale was declared void.

ONLINE

Efforts to spur more Europeans to shop online and across national boundaries will be stepped up with plans for a new law to guarantee consumer rights across the 27-nation bloc. The proposed legislation will oblige retailers to make product information available before sale, guarantee delivery within a maximum of 30 days and allow a statutory 14-day cooling off period in which purchasers can change their minds. European officials forecast that online buying will have generated US$174-billion in 2008, a figure which could grow by 230 per cent in five years.

WINE

It is estimated that the global wine market will be worth US$273-billion by 2011. In 2005, Canada's share of worldwide wine production was 0.15 per cent and Canada was ranked 49th for per capita wine consumption. Per capita spending by Canadians on wine in 2006-07 was C$187. There are approximately 350 grape wineries in Canada of which 133 are in Ontario.

PHARMACIES

Supermarket pharmacies in the U.S. continue to post strong and steady performance figures. The median number of prescriptions dispensed per day in 2007 was 126 compared with 120 two years previously. The median weekly prescription sales per store rose to US$46,000 in 2007 from $42,000 in 2006. Prescription sales as a percentage of total store sales held steady at 9.4 per cent.

AFRICA

In the coming decades, Africa's oilfields may begin to rival the strategic significance of the Middle East reserves. As new discoveries elsewhere steadily diminish, the global balance of oil wealth shifts towards Africa with every passing year. By 2015, the U.S. will purchase one quarter of its oil from Africa compared with about 15 per cent from Saudi Arabia. The African continent will become the superpower's largest single supplier with the sole exception of Canada.

ASIA

The outlook for Asian economies is no longer so promising. New forecasts from the Asian Development Bank for GDP growth in 2009 are generally lower than previously forecast. While the projection for China remains at over 9 per cent, Vietnam is forecast to grow at 6 per cent rather than the original 8 per cent and India at 7 per cent compared with 8.5 per cent. The Asian markets are being hit by lower demand for its exports in developed economies and by costly access to global capital markets.

FIRING

After years of fat profits and bonuses, cost-cutting is again at the top of the corporate agenda. Costs for reducing staff can vary enormously across the world. America, New Zealand and Tonga are among the most company-friendly countries requiring no penalties or compensation to fire a full-time employee of 20-years. By contrast a business in Zimbabwe must shell out well over eight years' worth of pay. But companies in Venezuela and Bolivia are even more tied, workers there cannot be fired at all.

LAKES

A new report claims that invasive species that have reached the Great Lakes in the ballast tanks of oceangoing ships may be costing the surrounding region on the U.S. about US$200-million a year. Canada has also suffered similar losses. 57 of the 84 invasive species that became established after the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959 were transported in ballast water.

PAY

Senior managers in the Middle East, Russia and China are better paid than those working in the West, once their cost of living is taken into account. A recent study compared managers' disposable income in 51 countries, by calculating average salaries adjusted for taxes and living expenses. On that basis managers in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have twice the spending power of their counterparts in America who rank only 41st in the survey.

CULTURE

Canada's export of culture goods declined for a fourth consecutive year in 2007. Exports in 2007 were just under C$2-billion, while imports were nearly $4-billion. The U.S. continued to be Canada's largest trading partner in culture goods, both in terms of exports and imports. In 2007, it was the destination of 90 per cent of Canada's exports and the source of 75 per cent of imports Writing and printed works accounted for 72 per cent of Canada's imports of culture goods and 36 per cent of exports.

AIRPORTS

In a worldwide passenger survey, Hong Kong International Airport has been named the best in the world. Second place was tied and was awarded to Seoul Inchon Airport in Korea and Singapore's Changi Airport. Vancouver International Airport came in eighth after being fifteenth the year before. The survey is based on more than 7.8-million detailed passenger surveys covering over 170 airports.

WATER

Snobbery, convenience and worries about tap water have propelled the American bottled-water industry from sales of US$4-billion in 1997 to $10.8-billion in 2006. Globally the industry is now worth about $60-billion. As well as the plain variety, there are now bottled waters laced with all sorts of extra ingredients, such as caffeine, appetite suppressants, skin enhancers and even laxatives.

SUN

EU scientists have claimed that a series of huge solar farms in the Sahara could supply the whole of Europe with clean electricity. The solar farms would produce electricity either through photovoltaic cells, or by concentrating the intense desert heat to boil water to drive turbines. This, along with power from other renewable sources, such as wind or geothermal, would be fed into a 5,000-mile electricity or supergrid from Siberia to Morocco and Egypt to Iceland.

LABELS

Disappearing labels could soon tell you when food in your fridge is out of date. Taiwan University has developed an ink, based on anthraquinone B-sulphonate, which fades from red to beige in the presence of oxygen. Varying the thickness of a gas-permeable polyacrylate film on top of a food label allows different sell-by dates to be programmed.

SHARIA

The modern history of Islamic finance is often dated to the 1970s with the launch of Islamic banks in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, though its roots go back 14 centuries. Islamic finance rests on the application of Islamic law, or Sharia, whose primary sources are the Koran and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. In 2007, Sharia-compliant assets were valued at US$155-billion in Iran. Saudi Arabia had assets of $69-billion and Malaysia $65-billion. Britain had Sharia-compliant assets of over $10-billion.

MAGAZINES

Canadian consumer magazines have experienced a significant drop in sales this year compared with 2007. Of 62 English and French magazines sold on newsstands in the first six months of this year, 27, almost 44 per cent of the total, experienced double-digit declines. Only 18 magazines reported increased newsstand sales. Single copy newsstand sales historically have been the benchmark of a magazines's success in the market while generating more revenue per copy than those sold through subscription.

STUDENTS

The number of Chinese students applying to British universities has risen by a fifth in a year. A total of 7,880 Chinese students applied for places, an increase from 6,423 in 2007. The rise comes as educational experts have warned that individual institutions could suffer economically if they rely too much on a large intake from a single country. Overall, applications from non-UK students were up by 6.4 per cent from 73,870 to 78,594.

TEA

Tea was discovered by the Chinese 5,000 years ago and introduced to Britain as an expensive herbal medicine in the seventeenth century. The drink was so unfamiliar that many threw away the water and chewed the leaves. In 1937, seeing war with Germany as inevitable, the tea industry devised plans to make sure supplies were maintained. With the outbreak of war, Churchill insisted the Royal navy had an unrestricted supply and reserves of tea were shipped to 500 secret locations.

DIET

Canadian food preferences continue to change according to a 2007 snapshot of food available for consumption. The Canadian diet includes more fresh fruits, yogurts, cheeses, creams, red meats, exotic juices, low fat milk, wine and spirits. Canadians also prefer less cereal and sugar, and fewer oils, fats and eggs in their diets. Compared with 20 years ago, Canadians now have 10.9 per cent more vegetables, excluding potatoes, in their diet, four times more garlic and twice as much asparagus and cucumbers.

CARS

The Austin Allegro has been voted the worst car in Britain 25 years after production ceased. Made by British Leyland between 1973 and 1983, the car was plagued with many design problems. One example of its poor construction was that it was more aerodynamic when travelling backwards than when it was driven forwards. A total of 642,350 Allegros were produced.

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

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.

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

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/

October 2008 Economic Digest - Importing and Exporting

October 2008 Edition

SHRINKAGE

 
Major ice cream makers, hit by higher dairy costs, have shrunk their standard containers to 1.5 quarts from 1.75 quarts, about one cup less than the normal 2 quarts of five years ago. Only the package shrunk, not the price. Other well-known products that are shrinking: Hellman's mayonnaise was 32 oz, now it is 30oz. Some Frito-Lay chips 12oz, now 10oz. Dial soap bar 4.5 oz, now 4oz and Bounty towel roll 60 towels, now 52 towels.

ANNIVERSARY

A quintessentially British item reaches its century this year, 100 years after New York merchant Thomas Sullivan accidentally invented it: the tea bag. In 1908, Mr. Sullivan was sending tea samples to potential customers when, to cut costs, he put a few pinches of loose leaves in several small silk pouches. The confused clients received the samples and, unsure of the instructions, reputedly dunked then into hot water, and the tea bag was born. The unintentional invention became so popular that an estimated 130-million cups of tea are drunk across the U.S. each day.

SIZE

The President of France has tasked a group of top architects to dream up a Grand Paris to rival Greater London that could stretch as far as the Channel. He has given ten architects, backed by teams of planners, engineers, sociologists and even philosophers, six months to come up with novel ideas of expanding the city, which at present is roughly 15 times smaller than Greater London. Paris has two million inhabitants compared to Greater London's 7.5-million.

HOME

Australia's booming economy and lowest unemployment rate in more than a generation is luring home thousands of expatriate Australians from Britain and the United States. About 34,000 Australians have returned from Britain in the past 12 months, the highest number ever recorded. In the first quarter of 2008, there was a 14 per cent decline in the number of Australians heading to London for work. Australia is awash with cash with the government enjoying a huge surplus and the national mandatory retirement savings scheme, now exceeding A$1-trillion.

RENT

London's West End has easily retained its position as the world's most expensive office market, though Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City has seen the sharpest hike in rental costs, rocketing upwards to US$85.84 per square foot. Moscow is the world's second most expensive office market at $232.37 a square foot. Rents in London are $299.54 a square foot.

FAME

According to Fame Us, there are now at least 70,000 Elvis impersonators around the world. When Elvis died in 1977 there were about 50. At this rate of growth it is estimated that by 2020, roughly one tenth of the world's population will be impersonating Elvis.

WINE

Buoyed by a fashion for pink, Rose wine, long dismissed as uncultured plonk, has overtaken white wine in volume of sales in France. It is estimated that more than one in five bottles of wines sold in France is a Rose, with gains coming from falling red sales. France's main Rose-producing region is Provence where Rose was first produced over 2,600 years ago. The Burgundy area is now producing more than two million bottles of Rose each year.

BOOKS

Statistics Canada reports that operating revenues for the book publishing industry in Canada edged down 1.2 per cent to C$2.1-billion in 2006 after increasing 3.2 per cent in 2005. Revenues fell 17 per cent in British Columbia and rose 12 per cent in Alberta. Spending on salaries, wages and benefits account for roughly 20 per cent of every dollar spent by the industry. The Canadian book publishing industry is dominated by firms in Ontario and Quebec which accounted for 91 per cent of operating revenues in 2006.

LATIN AMERICA

Many countries in the region are doing well as Latin America is enjoying one of its best periods of economic growth in 40 years. But Brazil is outpacing its neighbours and is emerging as an investment magnet. Direct foreign investment to Brazil doubled last year and Brazilians are spending money. High food and commodity prices, Brazil is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of minerals, soy, beef, chicken and grains, have brought in cash and created jobs. Sales of domestic appliances rose 17 per cent last year and cellphone use rose 21 per cent. Sales of notebook computers and plasma and LCD televisions almost tripled.

AIRSHIPS

The return of airships has long been predicted but efforts have so far proved uneconomical. Now, Boeing is getting into the business along with SkyHook International, a Canadian firm. They are to develop a heavy lift "rotocraft", a helium filled airship with helicopter engines, 91 metres (300 feet) long and capable of carrying 40 tonnes. SkyHook will test the market by operating two such craft before any more are built. Their ability to carry heavy loads up to 200 miles without refuelling will appeal to mining, logging and petrochemical firms by offering an alternative to building roads through wilderness areas.

THEFT

The crime of stealing catalytic converters has been rising rapidly. The pollution-reducing converters contain small amounts of the precious metals platinum and palladium, and have joined copper wire and sewer grates on the long list of metal items targeted by thieves eager to cash in on rising metal commodity prices. Five years ago platinum traded for about $608 an ounce, and palladium went for $208. Platinum now goes for $2,083 an ounce and palladium for about $468.

SUGAR

Changes are coming for this industry. Growing concerns about obesity, alarming scientific reports about artificial sweeteners and soaring agricultural prices are all having an impact. Sales of sugar and sweeteners in the U.S. are worth about US$4-billion a year. But, between 2002 and 2006, sales of white sugar in the U.S. dropped by 16 per cent. Sales of sugar substitutes in the same period shot up by 22 per cent but sales of these products are now flat due to troubling scientific reports. US Sugar, America's largest sugar cane producer, may go out of business altogether and sell its land for $1.7-billion to the state of Florida.

FARMS

Thousands of Americans have taken the hunt for organic fresh food to new lengths by "adopting" farmers and buying a share of their farm. A "share" in an organic farm's harvest, costs on average between $500 and $800 a season and guarantees weekly delivery of a box of fresh, seasonal vegetables. The number of community-supported farms has risen from fewer than 100 in the 1990s to almost 1,500 today. In New York City alone, there are 62 such schemes, including 23 vegetable farmers and up to 30 other meat, dairy and egg suppliers.

DRIVING

Due to the rise in gas prices, thousands of students across the U.S., including many who were previously reluctant to study online, have suddenly decided to take one or more college courses over the internet. The vast majority of the nation's 15-million college students, at least 79 per cent, live off campus and many are seeking to cut commuting costs. Some colleges have seen an increase as high as 24 per cent of students wishing to study online. Once an incidental expense, fuel for commuting to campus now costs some students half of what they pay for tuition.

BARRIERS

The NAFTA mandates that Mexican trucks be allowed to enter the U.S. Each year, more than four billion pounds of fruit and vegetable are placed in the trucks in the Mexican state of Sonora. When the trucks reach the border, the produce is unloaded in a warehouse. Then it is retrieved by another truck that takes it several miles into Arizona where it is unloaded again into another warehouse and then retrieved by an American carrier. The cost of the inefficiency and the cost of transferring fresh produce three times at one border is considerable.

INVESTMENT

The 30 members of the mostly rich OECD made foreign direct investment (FDI) worth US$1.82-trillion last year well above the record set in 2000. Direct investment flows into OECD countries also set a new record, rising by 31 per cent, to $1.37-trillion. America remained both the biggest financier and the biggest recipient of direct investments. The U.S. was followed by Britain and France.

HEALTHCARE

The European Commission has unveiled a healthcare package designed to make it easier for patients to get medical treatment elsewhere in the EU. Under the proposals, patients would not have to get their doctor's approval for non-hospital care abroad. The package is seen as an effort to give patients greater freedom in choosing where they get treatment. Currently, only one per cent of healthcare budgets in the EU are spent on cross-border healthcare.

FISHING

African politicians have been discussing in Namibia how to stop illegal and unregulated fishing. It is estimated that illegal and unregulated fishing costs Africa US$1-billion a year in lost revenue. Many African countries do not have patrol boats and in some states there is a problem with corruption with fishing licences sold illegally. As well as devastating some African fishing communities, the unregulated trade in many cases costs lives as local fishermen in flimsy canoes have had to go farther out to sea to find a decent catch.

RESERVES

Over 60 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves, those that can be recovered from known fields using existing technology, are in the Middle East. Add in Russia and Venezuela and the share rises to 74 per cent. Saudi Arabia alone accounts for over a fifth of the total. At today's rates of production, the world has enough oil to last for almost 42 years.

ARCHITECTURAL SERVICES

Canadian firms in the architectural services and landscape architectural services businesses, generated combined operating revenues of C$2.6-billion in 2006, an increase of 15 per cent from the previous year. Operating revenues for firms in Ontario accounted for more than two-fifths of the total national figure with British Columbia a distant second.

FOOD

Recent research show that the Top 100 fast-casual restaurant chains continue to bring the lion's share of growth for the limited-service restaurant industry in 2007, outperforming the restaurant industry as a whole. Fast-casual restaurants provide fast service and fresh, high-quality food in upscale settings. The Top 100 chains totalled US$14.8-billion in sales, accounting for most of the $17-billion that the entire fast-casual industry grossed in 2007.

WASTE

Between 2004 and 2006, the amount of waste received by public and private waste disposal facilities in Canada rose 8 per cent. In 2006, the waste management industry handled an estimated 35-million metric tonnes of waste. About one-third of waste sent for disposal came from residential sources and the other two-thirds from non-residential sources. The amount of waste sent for disposal rose in all provinces between 2004 and 2006 except in Prince Edward Island where the amount declined by almost 13 per cent. Waste in Alberta increased 24 per cent in the same period.

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

BlackBerry Tip - Phone Directory / Voice Mail Dialing -

Phone directory / Voice Mail dialing – You’ll notice that the BlackBerry doesn’t have any letters over the numbers on the phone keypad. So, if you want to dial 1-800-GOT-JUNK, or search for “Graham” in a company voicemail directory, you have to either be staring at a regular phone – or try to guess which Letters correspond with the Numbers. This can be quite difficult.

There IS a solution for this.

Just use the regular keypad for the numbers, but you have to use the Alt key for the letters. So, in the example of dialing 1-800-GOT-JUNK. You would simply dial the regular 1 800 but then press Alt G Alt O Alt T Alt J Alt U Alt N Alt K – and the phone will translate that for you. In the voicemail directory scenario, you can be asked “Please type the first 3 letters of the person’s first name to search the company directory..”, and if it is “Graham” that you are looking for, you would dial Alt G Alt R Alt A and it will translate that for you.

September 2008 Economic Digest - Importing and Exportin

September 2008 Edition

INVESTMENT

 
China is about to begin work on rebuilding 2,050 miles of roads in the Republic of the Congo which were left to rot in the rainforest after the Belgian colonists pulled out 48 years ago and further shattered by seven years of war. The vast project, which will triple Congo's current paved road network, is part of China's largest investment in Africa, a US$9-billion infrastructure-for-minerals deal signed earlier this year. Besides roads, Beijing has promised to repair 2,000 miles of railroads, build 32 hospitals and 145 health centres, install two electricity distribution networks, construct two hydropower dams and two new airports.

MAGAZINES

An explosion of Western magazines has hit newsstands in India in the past 12 months, pitching a familiar mix of consumption and gossip, relationship advice and expensive luxuries. Indian versions of Vogue, Rolling Stone, OK!, Maxim, Golf Digest, People and Marie Clair have all sprung up this year, and GQ and Fortune are soon to follow. They join familiar names like Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping and Reader's Digest. Magazine advertising in India is expected to grow by 20 per cent to US$302-million in 2008.

LAND

Demand for land to grow food, biofuel crops and wood is set to outstrip supply leading to a the probable destruction of forests according to a new report. The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) claims that only half the extra land needed by 2030 is available without eating into tropical forested areas. Rising demand for food, biofuels and wood for paper, building and industry needs, means that 515 million hectares of extra land will be needed for growing crops and trees by 2030 but only 200 million hectares will be available without dipping into tropical forests.

WINE

Experts forecast that China is set to become the worlds largest exporter of bulk wine in 50 years time as well as a major force in the industry. Chinese wine currently has a low profile outside of Asia even though, in terms of number of vineyards, it is already the world's fourth largest player. Increased investment and technical expertise, allied to favourable soil conditions will transform its reputation for excellence. Certain countries, most notably Australia, may no longer be able to grow wine in bulk quantities by 2058 because of lack of water.

CARS

Surging car sales in oil-rich Russia have pushed the country past Germany as Europe's largest auto market for the first time. This comes as auto sales in the world's biggest market, the U.S., are falling under pressure from higher gasoline prices and rising unemployment. Automakers sold 1.645-million vehicles in Russia in the first half of 2008, surpassing the 1.63-million sold in Germany. Sales in Russia rose 41 per cent during the same period the previous year fuelled by sales of imported brands.

FREEDOM

The Fraser Institute reports that Alberta has more economic freedom than any other province in Canada, and ranks second in all of North America, after Delaware. The rest of the provinces are at the bottom of the list when it comes to freedom from taxes and other forms of government regulation and interference. Newfoundland and Labrador posted the greatest increase in economic freedom of any province through the first half of this decade. The next highest ranked province is Ontario which is in 51st spot among the 60 provinces and states, followed by British Columbia.

EMISSIONS

The European parliament has approved a proposal to include airlines in the bloc's strategy to cut carbon dioxide emissions, a move that may provoke a dispute with thew U.S. Under the plan, all flights starting or landing in the EU will be included in the EU's emissions trading system from 2012. U.S. officials say the EU will likely break international aviation rules if it insists on including non-European airlines in the program.

HEALTH

Retail sales within the U.S. consumer packaged goods Health and Wellness industry reached US$102.75-billion in 2007, representing growth of 15 per cent over 2006. This includes sales across all retail and direct-to-consumer channels in six categories: functional\fortified foods and beverages; vitamins, minerals, herbal and dietary supplements; organic foods\beverages; natural foods\beverages;natural\organic personal care and natural\organic general merchandise. There were 842 new product introductions in this sector in 2007.

GLOOMY

A study of 25,000 people across the 27 nations of the European Union shows that the Germans are the most gloomy. Estonian citizens are the most optimistic. The study, which focused on quality of life issues, found that new members of the EU, mostly from central and eastern Europe, were of the view that life would get better and better, while established members of the EU were almost all miserable. 49 per cent of Britons believe that life will be worse in 20 years.

SNAILS

The price of snails, one of France's more exotic foodstuffs, is about to soar because of economic development in Eastern Europe. France consumes more than 14,000 tonnes of snails each year but few are from France and the industry relies on central and eastern European imports. Now, economic progress in countries like Poland and Bulgaria means less appetite for the hard work of snail-gathering. In the past, rural families could earn a decent wage from collecting snails in the fields and woods.

TRENDS

Increasingly, airlines are going cashless in flight. Alaska Airlines has become the latest carrier to go cashless for in-flight purchases such as headphones, cocktails and snacks. Switching to credit-card only boosts sales slightly as people tend to spend more with credit cards. The benefit to the airlines is that attendants don't have to worry about counting cash and having change on hand and accounting for cash transactions.

TRAVEL

Despite the weak U.S. dollar, a boom in international travel to the U.S. has not materialized. Explanations range from post 9\11 security headaches and lower airfares elsewhere to poor marketing by the U.S. According to the World Tourism Organization, the U.S. had 51-million international visitors in 2000, more than 7 per cent of the 682-million tourists. In 2006, major destinations such as Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Miami, Honolulu, Las Vegas and Chicago saw 20- to 34 per cent less visitors compared with 2000. Only New York saw more visitors in 2006.

QUALITY

The world's most famous teddy bear maker has decided to repatriate production after finding the cut-price Chinese factories could not replicate the quality of craftsmanship. Iconic Steiff bears, which have a button sewn into their ears, moved production to China four years ago joining the global cost-cutting trend of moving production to China. German analysts suggest that Steiff's return could mark the beginning of an exodus from China of foreign companies initially tempted by savings but ultimately disappointed by quality.

FARMS

The share of farmland used for organic production has grown quickly in many rich countries. Swiss farmers are among the keenest on organic food production, more than 10 per cent of their land is devoted to organic farming, up from less than two per cent in the mid-1990s. Austria comes a close second. Outside Europe, organic farming is less-popular. In the U.S. it accounts for just 0.25 per cent of land under cultivation. Japan's organic farms account for less than one per cent of agricultural land bringing down the OECD average to less than two per cent.

SALES

Christie's and Sotheby's, the worlds two top auctioneers have just completed a series of summer sales in London that raised more than US$1-billion, underlining how resilient the top end of the market is despite growing economic gloom. Records tumbled and bidding was aggressive when a Monet water-lily painting fetched $80.5-million, double the previous high for the French master. Christie's raised $552-million in the summer season of impressionist, modern, postwar and contemporary art while Sotheby's raised $449-million.

GRAIN

China's cabinet has approved a plan to ensure grain production keeps pace with strong domestic demand and overcomes challenges such as climate change. China aims to reach and maintain annual grain output of 500-million tonnes by 2010, and to increase output to more than 540-million tonnes a year by 2020. Presently, harsh weather and the development of arable land are hurting grain output. In order to achieve its goals, it has identified 120-million hectares (296-million acres) of land as a necessary minimum to ensure a 95 per cent self-sufficiency in grain supply.

WAITING

Wait times are a simmering shopper frustration. At grocery stores more than four minutes can jeopardise a customer's loyalty a new survey shows. Satisfaction remains high when the wait is four minutes or less in all store categories, after that, satisfaction levels drop considerably across the seven categories: grocery, consumer electronics, department, drug, home improvement, mass merchandisers, and office supply stores. 43 per cent of those surveyed said long lines would affect their decision to shop at a particular store in the future.

CLIMATE

Scientists are suggesting that climate change has caused plants to seek cooler conditions at higher levels. A study of 171 forest species in mountain ranges of western Europe found that many plants had climbed an average of 29 metres each decade. The plants are shifting upwards to recover temperature conditions that are optimal for their development and reproduction. The work was possible because of two large-scale, long-term databases that have recorded the presence of forest species since 1905.

RESTAURANTS

The largest restaurant in the world is the Damascus gate in Syria. The 6,014 seat restaurant has taken the record away from the eatery in Bangkok which serves 5,000 diners.

WATER

Statistics Canada reports that higher-income households and households with children were the most likely to drink bottled water in the home, though the large amounts of plastic waste generated by the consumption of bottled water has raised concerns. Households living in apartments and households with seniors were least likely to drink bottled water. Overall, almost 3 in 10 Canadian households used bottled water as their main source of drinking water in 2006.

GIVING

The Web has radically changed the way we shop, conduct our finances, get the news and participate in politics. Now it is changing the way we give. In 2007, giving to charities in the U.S. exceeded US$300-billion for the first time. Traditional means of fundraising, direct mail and telemarketing, are growing less effective and more expensive each year. Online fundraising in the U.S. has grown from $250-million in 2000 to an estimated $6.9-billion in 2006 and $13.2-billion globally.

SPACE

The UK Department of Transport has ruled that train commuters should be allocated 0.45 square metres of space, whether they are seated or standing. The EU regulations say this is less than is allowed for goats, chickens, calves and sheep.

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

Canada Concludes Free Trade Negotiations with Jordan and Colombia, Peru

On August 25, 2008, the Government of Canada concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with Jordan, as well as on parallel agreements on labour cooperation and the environment. This year, the Government of Canada has also concluded FTA negotiations with Colombia and Peru.

“We welcome this opportunity to expand Canada-Jordan trade relations,” said the Honourable Michael M Fortier, Minister of International Trade. “This bilateral free trade agreement will open up significant opportunities for Canadian companies in this growing economy, as well as elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. It demonstrates our government’s continuing commitment to expand opportunities for Canadian exporters.”

An FTA with Jordan will improve market access for both agricultural products and industrial goods, and help to ensure a level playing field for Canadian exporters vis-à-vis competitors that already have preferential access to Jordan’s markets. Trade between the two countries totalled $76 million last year.

Upon implementation, this FTA will eliminate tariffs on the vast majority of current Canadian exports to Jordan, directly benefiting Canadian exporters. For example, in 2007, electrical machinery was subject to roughly $293,000 in duties (up to 30 percent on some products) on exports of $3 million to Jordan.

The parallel labour and environment agreements will help to ensure progress on labour rights and environmental protection.

“This labour cooperation agreement between Canada and Jordan will ensure that economic progress goes hand in hand with the rights of workers,” said the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. “The successful conclusion of these negotiations marks the beginning of a long-term cooperative relationship between our two countries.”

“The Canada-Jordan Agreement on the Environment marks another milestone in our two countries’ joint commitment to protecting our most vital of assets, our shared environment,” said the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment. “We see this partnership as an opportunity to create and strengthen environmental laws and policies as a legacy for future generations.”

This FTA also demonstrates Canada’s support for a key partner in the pursuit of regional peace, security and stability. These negotiations follow on the successful conclusion of negotiations for a new bilateral air services agreement and a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement with Jordan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed Canada to exploring the possibility of an FTA with Jordan when he met King Abdullah II in July 2007.

Before signing the agreements and making them public, Canada and Jordan will undertake a detailed legal review of the FTA texts in English, French and Arabic. Following formal signature, the treaties will be tabled in the House of Commons for a period of 21 sitting days for Members of Parliament to review and debate. Following the 21-day period, the Canadian government will introduce draft legislation to implement the agreements.

More information can be found here -

August 2008 Economic Digest - Importing and Exportin

August 2008 Edition

FUEL

 
Although ships use less fuel than planes or trucks, the industry is so big that it accounts for up to 4.5 per cent of global emissions of carbon dioxide, the most prominent greenhouse gas. If vessels slowed down they would have greater fuel efficiency. The world's biggest car shipper has already asked customers to accept slower deliveries. Dropping average speeds of 18 to 19 knots by just two knots could save five per cent of fuel use and emissions alone.

NIGERIA

The Nigerian government is going on a spending spree with US$10-billion from its windfall from the rising price of oil. It will spend $5-billion fixing the country's woeful power supply which has become the administration's priority. The rest will be shared among the 36 state governments. It is believed that the total reserve is $18-billion, up from $5.1-billion in 2004.

KIOSKS

Transactions at self-serve kiosks in North America will surpass US$607-billion this year, and this amount will more than triple by 2012 to over $1.7-trillion. Consumers are showing a preference for self-service kiosk activity of all kinds. The devices are also a hedge against increasing expenses during tough economic times. The survey examines increasing use of six types of self-service kiosks where payment is accepted; self-checkout systems, ticketing kiosks, check-in kiosks, food ordering, postal systems and other retail kiosks.

PHONES

Traditional land-line phones, once the bedrock of U.S. communications, are quickly going the way of eight-track tapes as consumers go wireless or choose Internet-based phone calling. During the latter part of last year, nearly one out of every six homes in the U.S., 15.8 per cent, had only wireless telephones, up from 6.1 per cent during the same period in 2004. In New York, land lines have plummeted 55 per cent since 2000 and New Jersey is close behind. The trend is strongest among young adults.

COMMERCE

According to an index of 75 cities compiled by MasterCard, London and New York remain the top two centres for global commerce. The cities were rated according to how they perform in seven main areas, such as ease of doing business, livability, and the legal and political framework. Tokyo and Singapore were 3rd and 4th. Toronto was 13th.

PATENTS

Delays in Europe of up to 10 years have left somewhere between five and ten million inventions globally queuing for approval. These delays are bad for business and have created uncertainty for innovators. There are increasing calls for a single European patent and even a unified global system where a patent granted in one part of the world would be valid everywhere. Currently, inventors have to file for patents in different countries which is costly and time-consuming.

MOWERS

This summer has seen a surge in the sales of push mowers in the U.S., in some areas they are up by as much as 70 per cent. This has been attributed to increased environmental concerns, the faltering economy and the US$4 a gallon gasoline. It is estimated that around 300,000 push mowers are usually purchased in the U.S. each year, about the same as the number of electric mowers. These figures are dwarfed by the roughly 6-million gas-powered mowers purchased each year.

PAKISTAN

The costs of food imports to this country are about US$3.3-billion annually. Fertilizer imports cost over $820-million annually and fuel imports are over $8.6-billion each year. However, Pakistan attracted over $5-billion in foreign direct investment in 2007, ten times the figure in 2001. Government debt has fallen from 68 per cent of GDP in 2004 to less than 55 per cent in 2007 and foreign exchange reserves have reached $16.4-billion.

BREAKFAST

Honey has replaced marmalade as the most popular spread on British breakfast tables in the UK after health gurus labelled honey as a superfood. Sales of honey in Britain have risen 11 per cent in the past year to over US$155-million. Jam is still the nation's favourite with sales of $195-million annually. Diet conscious Britons are viewing honey as a healthier, organic option. It is also selling well as an alternative to sugar on cereals.

PENS

Arguably the most important invention for the written word since the printing press, the humble biro pen is 70 years old this year, named after Hungarian Laszlo Biro. The first bulk order for the ballpoint pens was during the Second World War when the RAF asked for 30,000 biros so that navigators could write at high altitude where fountain pens tended to leak. Patented in 1938, the biro uses a pressurised tube rather than gravity which was used in earlier ballpoint pens. An estimated 15-million ballpoint pens are sold daily worldwide.

MUSIC

Experts forecast that the compact disc has less than three years left in its reign atop the music industry in Canada with new data on music sales indicating the download will officially be king by 2011. A new report suggests that physical music sales in Canada will fall to US$275-million in 2011, from about $572-million last year. By that time, downloaded digital sales are expected to reach $366-million.

ARTS

Total operating revenues for the performing arts industry in Canada reached C$1.2-billion in 2006. These revenues were split almost equally between the for-profit and the not-for-profit sectors. The operating profit margin overall rose to 5.7 per cent in 2006, up from 4.3 per cent a year earlier. The top 20 performing arts companies accounted for nearly two-thirds of all revenues. For every $100 in revenue the industry earned, ticket sales and merchandise generated $42 and royalties and rentals another $9. Grants, subsidies and donations yielded $26 and the private sector provided the remaining $23.

SCIENCE

Worries that America is losing its edge in science and technology are ill-founded. It is still the world's powerhouse accounting for 40 per cent of total world spending on research and development, and produces 63 per cent of the most frequently cited publications. It is home to 30 of the world's 40 leading universities and employs 70 per cent of the world's living Nobel laureates.

NOISE

Being woken in the dead of night by noisy neighbour's blasting out music could be a thing of the past. Scientists have shown a blueprint for an "acoustic cloak" which could make objects impervious to sound waves. The technology could be use to build sound-proof homes. The key is "sonic crystals" that can be engineered to produce specific acoustical effects. They would be used to channel sounds around a specific object like water flowing around a rock, effectively shielding an object from sound.

EMPLOYMENT

According to the most recent U.S. census, more Americans identify their primary occupation as artists than as lawyers, doctor, police officer or farm worker. In 2005, two million Americans said their primary employment was in jobs defined by the census as artists' occupations, including architects, interior designers and window dressers. Their combined income was about US$70-billion, a median of $34,800 each. Another 300,000 said artist was their second job.

PAPER

For the first time in North America, a glossy magazine has been published on paper made from the pulp of wheat straw, a development that could herald the birth of a new industry that would alleviate some of the pressure on Canadian forests. The paper, known as the wheat sheet, is the product of 10 years of research by scientists in Alberta. However, the difficulty is that pulp processors don't have the equipment to deal with wheat straw and it would take an investment of up to $200-million to upgrade existing Canadian facilities.

DRINKS

Following an influx of Poles into Britain, vodka has now overtaken blended Scotch to become Britain's favourite spirit. Last year, US$1.5-billion was spent on vodka, a rise of 11 per cent in one year. Sales of blended Scotch increased by only one per cent to $1.48-billion. Vodka has a trendy image in the UK, also, the country's Polish population is raising sales. About 230,000 Poles registered for work in Britain between 2004 and 2006. The first mention of whisky in UK tax records was in 1494 and vodka was first mentioned in 1751.

AIRPORTS

Canada's airports handled 107-million passengers in 2007. Canada's largest airport is Toronto Pearson which handled 31-million passengers last year. Airports provide 200,000 direct jobs with an annual payroll of C$8-billion. Airports contribute about $45-billion a year to the Canadian economy. A single Airbus A340 arrival a day contributes 660 jobs and labour income of $28-million. Most of Canada's airports are operated by not-for-profit local authorities.

WEDDINGS

It is estimated that same-sex weddings could create hundreds of new jobs and pump hundreds of millions of dollars into California's economy. Gay couples are projected to spend $684-million on flowers, cakes, hotels, photographers and other wedding services over the next three years. Researchers project that half of the state's more than 100,0000 same- sex couple will get married and another 68,000 out-of-state couples will travel to California.

FEES

A 240-metre long U.S.-owned cruise ship recently paid a record US$331,200 to cross the Panama Canal as vessels fight for space in the increasingly congested waterway. Three containers ships have also recently paid more than $313,000. Non-reserved slots for crossing the canal are sold at auction to the highest bidder, with yachts, cruise lines and container vessels all competing for limited space on the 80-kilometre waterway. Last year, the U.S.-built canal started a $5.25-billion expansion to be completed in 2014.

DEVELOPMENT

Saudi Arabia has a vision which could soon transform the Kingdom's economy and society. Six major developments will be built across the Kingdom over the next 15 years. The centrepiece will be King Abdullah Economic City, 100K north of Jeddah. When complete it will stretch over 388 sq km. The developers say that by 2020 more than one million jobs will have been created in a city that will be home to two million. The Economic City will include one of the largest ports in the world, an education zone, a resort zone and will be the size of Washington DC.

SNACKS

Americans are becoming more health conscious when it comes to their kids' snacks according to a recent survey. New data shows that cookies, which held top spot the last time snack data was collected in 1987, are now ranked number two behind fruit. Carbonated soft drinks held the number six spot in 1987 but didn't make the top 10 this year. Cake has also dropped off the list. Meanwhile popcorn, which did not appear on the list last time is now ranked number six. Popcorn is considered a whole-grain snack.

SUCCESS

A British airline has been voted by 70,000 passengers as the third best airline in the world, ahead of Virgin and British Airways. However, Palmair has only one plane, a 36 year old Boeing 737 which flies twice a day. Palmair has a member of staff who greets every single passenger and draws up seating plans from her kitchen table the night before departures.

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