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Import

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Trade Policy Is Changing Rapidly—Prepare Your Business for What’s Next

Trade policies are shifting faster than ever, with new tariffs, complicated regulations, and heavy enforcement measures impacting businesses across industries. If you are an importer, staying ahead of these changes is critical to maintaining smooth operations and avoiding financial setbacks.

With trade policy in flux, now is the time to ensure you are on solid footing by auditing your compliance strategies, reassessing tariff exposure, and ensuring your business is prepared for what’s ahead.

Audit Your Business Before CBP Does

Conducting an audit of your business to check for import compliance is an essential step to avoid costly penalties, thwart supply chain disruptions, and to minimize legal risk. An audit helps identify potential compliance gaps, ensuring that your existing business practices are in compliance with all applicable regulations. It also allows businesses to proactively address issues before they escalate.

Import Report Card

Diaz Trade Law can provide a customized ACE report card to give you an overview of your import compliance. The report contains a summary of your import transactions and identifies potential issues in your business’ processes as well as substantive recommendations to ensure compliance. The report provides information like:

  • Your last 5 years of import history
  • List of HTS’s you use
  • Total amounts paid in AD/CVD
  • Manufacturer ID’s reported to Customs
  • Inconsistencies in reporting
  • Total value of imports and duties paid by year
  • Review of countries of origin of your imported merchandise
  • Use of Free Trade Agreements
  • Your surety, bond coverage, and bond type
  • And more!

Lastly, the Report Card service […]

By |2025-02-27T15:07:04-05:00February 27, 2025|ACE, Best Practices, Enforcement, Import, Pre-compliance, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|0 Comments
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ICYMI: Trump Administration Imposes 25% Steel and Aluminum Tariff

On February 11, 2025, President Trump issued two Proclamations imposing enhanced import duties on steel and aluminum products under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The orders eliminate certain exemptions from the duties, expand their scope to cover additional products, and raise the duties on covered aluminum goods from 10% to 25%.

On February 18, 2025, two Federal Register Notices were published that included lists of “derivative” products subject to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum under Section 232. The Federal Register Notices, which include the specific HTS subheadings for the derivative products in Annex 1 are available here (steel) and here (aluminum).

As of March 12, 2025, additional Section 232 tariffs of 25% will apply to covered aluminum and steel products from all countries. This means that countries that previously had certain exemptions from the 232 tariffs such as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the EU, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom will also be subject to the 25% tariffs. Imports of derivative aluminum articles that contain “any amount of primary aluminum used in the manufacture of the derivative aluminum articles is smelted in Russia, or the derivative aluminum articles are cast in Russia,” are subject to a duty of 200%.

In addition, the additional 25% tariffs will apply to the lists of aluminum and steel derivatives identified in the annexes to the Federal Register Notices once the U.S. Department of Commerce certifies that “adequate systems are in place to fully, efficiently, and expediently process and collect tariff […]

By |2025-02-19T16:46:05-05:00February 12, 2025|Canada, China, Countries, Import, Mexico, tariffs|0 Comments
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CBP Issues Proposed Rule to Enhance Low-Value Shipment Enforcement

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would impose new data collection requirements on low-value shipments, also known as de minimis shipments. If adopted, the rule would create a new, alternative process for entering low-value shipments. The new process would require the submission of advance data such as origin, destination, and contents of the shipment.

De Minimis Background

The concept of de minimis shipments into the United States stems from customs regulations aimed at simplifying the importation of low-value goods. The term “de minimis” refers to shipments that fall below a certain value threshold, allowing them to enter the country with minimal duties or taxes.

Historically, the threshold was set at $200 but was raised to $800 in 2016 under the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA). This change was designed to reduce administrative burdens on CBP and facilitate faster processing of e-commerce shipments, which were rapidly increasing in volume. Over the last decade, the number of shipments claiming the de minimis exemption has increased significantly, from approximately 140 million a year to over one billion a year.

Today, CBP processes over 4 million de minimis shipments into the U.S. each day. Current regulations require very little information about these shipments, making it increasingly difficult for CBP to identify and intercept high-risk shipments. The U.S. Congress and the Biden Administration have called for de minimis reforms.

The Proposed Rule

The rule proposes the establishment of an enhanced entry process that would require the […]

By |2025-01-17T16:17:07-05:00January 17, 2025|Import, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)|0 Comments
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Navigating Tariff Increases: Strategies to Minimize Tariff Costs Under the Trump Administration

Donald Trump favors tariffs. Leading up to the 2024 election, he called himself the “tariff man” and stated that tariffs are “the greatest thing ever invented”  and  “the most beautiful word in the dictionary.”

Although the specifics of Donald Trump’s tariff plan have yet to be revealed, he has made numerous public statements about the tariffs he has in mind.  At a rally in North Carolina, he suggested imposing a 10-20% tariff on all imported goods. He also said that he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico if the country does not help curb the flow of immigrants and drugs over the border. He has also suggested a massive  60% to 100% tariff on Chinese origin goods.

So, what can importers do to prepare?  A lot!

First, What is a Tariff?

A tariff (also known as a duty) is a tax levied by governments on the value of imported products. Tariffs differ greatly by country and by individual product. In the United States, tariffs are collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the money goes to the U.S. Treasury.

The importer of record is responsible for correctly classifying their goods and paying the appropriate duty rate. Tariffs are not paid by the foreign seller or the country from which the goods are imported, thus the costs are generally passed along to the U.S. consumer.

Learn more about how tariffs work here.

Strategies to Minimize Tariff Costs

An increase in tariffs can undoubtedly have a significant impact […]

By |2024-11-18T13:51:59-05:00November 15, 2024|Import|0 Comments
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USTR Finalizes Action on 301 Tariffs

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced final tariff modifications following their statutory review of the Section 301 investigation of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation. The final modifications include tariff increases on several products including critical minerals, batteries, and semiconductors.

301 Investigation Background

In August 2017, USTR initiated an investigation into China’s acts, policies, and practices related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation. The agency released a report of its findings in March 2018 and in June 2018 began imposing additional duties on products of China in four tranches. 

Under the Trade Act of 1974, the USTR is required to conduct a four-year review if they receive an appropriate request to continue an action taken under Section 301. The agency is required to review:

  • (A) the effectiveness in achieving the objectives of section 301 of (i) such action, and (ii) other actions that could be taken (including actions against other products or services), and
  • (B) the effects of such actions on the United States economy, including consumers.

In accordance with this requirement, USTR announced in May 2022 that it was commencing this review and opened a docket for interested persons to submit comments. 

The agency […]

By |2024-09-17T15:52:42-04:00September 17, 2024|China, Countries, Import, U.S. Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR)|0 Comments
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