Customs isn’t so “festive” at Christmas . . .

If you import Christmas- related items, you are probably heartened when you first see US Harmonized Tariff Heading 9505 which covers, in part: “Festive, carnival or other entertainment articles . . .; parts and accessories thereof;” and specifically, Subheading 9505.10, “Articles for Christmas festivities and parts and accessories thereof:”.  These are duty-free classifications when the…

House passes legislation by a wide margin requiring Customs to scrutinize and possibly, detain, importations of goods produced in China’s Northwest Province

If you import products made in the Sinkiang province of China or on its border, beware of tough new legislation that could lead to seizure of your imported products by CBP on the presumption that they were made with forced labor. For decades, Communist China has been accused of mistreating its Muslim Uyghur minority and…

Major changes to the Buy American Act on the way . . .

In mid-September, the Trump Administration announced proposed major changes strengthening certain of the Buy American preferences for purchases by the federal government. The federal Buy American Act is the leading federal law, of several in effect, that mandates a preference for American origin manufactured end products and construction materials.  Currently, the Buy American regulations empower…