Miscellaneous International Trade Notices
American Shipper reports that forwarders, brokers, and non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) are getting caught in a costly squeeze that is hard to address due to an increase on government agencies putting a hold on cargo which leads to demurrage and detention charges. An NVOCC quoted in the article opines that it's one thing if an importer holds a container for an extra day or two after unloading, or if any shipper tries to use container-marshalling space as a free warehouse, but when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (the most exam-prone of agencies) decides to put a hold on a shipment, the delay is neither caused nor exacerbated by shippers or their intermediaries. The NVOCC adds that there should be some way for the trade industry to reverse the charges incurred, or get some kind of break, when it's caused by the government. (American Shipper Pub February 2007, www.americanshipper.com)
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
1. Gov't Holds are Costing the Trade Demurrage, Detention Charges
2. U.S. and Mexico Re-Establish Consultative Committee on Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Mexico signed a Memorandum of Understanding on March 6, 2007 to re-establish the U.S.-Mexico Consultative Committee on Agriculture (CCA). The USDA states that the CCA has served historically as a forum for important trade issued related to market access, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, biotechnology and animal and plant health. (USDA press release no. 0055.07, dated 03/06/07, available at http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?contentidonly=true&contentid=2007/03/0055.xml)
3. U.S. Requests WTO Consultations with India on Wine and Spirits Imports
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. has requested World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement consultations with India over customs duties it imposes on imports of wine and distilled spirits. According to the USTR, on top of basic customs duties, India imposes an "additional duty" and an "extra additional duty" on imports of wine and distilled spirits, resulting in aggregated duties on these imports that range from approximately 150% to 550%. In the WTO, India committed that its tariffs on wine and spirits would not exceed 150%. (USTR press release, dated 03/06/07, available at http://www.ustr.gov/Document_Library/Press_Releases/2007/March/United_States_Files_WTO_Case_Against_India_Challenging_Excessive_Duties_on_US_Wine_Spirits.html)
4. Various Agencies Seek Comments on Information Collections
Various U.S. government agencies are seeking comments on the following information collections for which they have requested or intend to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval or extension of approval (see notices for specific details):
Code Legend according to releases: D - Distributor, I - Importer, M - Manufacturer, N/A - Not Applicable, R - Retailer, W - Wholesaler, A - Agent. |