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Helping you Expand your Cross-Border Business
Managing your goods through U.S. Customs and beyond requires the expertise of a trusted professional customs broker. Count on A & A Contract Customs Brokers USA Inc.’s qualified and experienced customs specialists to safely and efficiently clear your goods through U.S. Customs and deliver them to their final destination, on time and in compliance. A & A Contract Customs Brokers USA Inc. offers an expanded range of personalized customs brokerage, freight forwarding, warehousing and distribution services to businesses just like yours.
We are dedicated to learning about your products and your company’s goals. We’ll tailor our expertise and services to effectively manage customs compliance and other details to expedite your shipments across the border. And you will enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your products – and your needs – are being taken care of every step of the way, enabling you to do business with your cross-border and international customers just like they were in your own back yard.
Choose from A & A Contract Customs Brokers USA Inc.’s comprehensive suite of services:
- Coast-to-Coast customs clearance in the US
- Trade & Regulatory Support
- Import (export) Permits
- Customs Bonds
- Compliance Reviews
- Freight Services
- Warehouse & Distribution
- EDI & E-Business Solutions
A & A Expert
Carlos Valadez
Need assistance in importing your goods into the United States?
Ask Carlos Valadez!
Carlos has been with A & A Contract Customs Brokers USA Inc for seven years and brought with him over 21 years of industry experience. As a licensed customs broker in the United States, Carlos, can assist you with all of your importing and exporting questions. Get started today! Call him at 1-866-535-1981 or email him at cvaladez@aacbusa.com.
Special Offer
Are you using A & A for your Canadian shipments? Receive the same great customized service for your shipments into the United States. With A & A USA's customs brokerage expertise alongside our freight and warehousing distribution services, we will find you the solution that suites your businesses' needs.
From now until June 30, 2010 bundle up on A & A’s US brokerage and warehousing services and receive 25% off the A & A’s General US brokerage rates schedule.
Offer expires: June 30, 2010
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Carriers' Corner
Carrier Codes E-manifest
Effective April 1, 2010, the Canada Border Services Agency will no longer accept generic itinerant codes “77YY” for any mode of transportation. A transition period commencing May 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011 will allow carriers and drivers currently using the “77YY” code to obtain a carrier code.
For more information please click here or email our carrier services team at carrierscorner@aacb.com.
Canada Revenue Agency
Softwood Lumber Export Charge Reduced
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has posted the Export Charge Rate for May 2010 on their website. Due to the rise in the prevailing monthly price of Framing Lumber Composite (FLC) as produced by the Random Lengths Publications Inc., the export charge rate for Option A has been reduced to 10% and the export charge rate for Option B has been reduced to 3%.
Should the rise in prices continue, the next threshold is a four week average of $335 USD per MBF, at which point the charge will drop by 50%. At an average price of $355 USD per MBF, the tax is eliminated completely.
For more information, click here
British Columbia and Ontario Importers
Harmonized Sales Tax (HST)
As of July 1, 2010, Ontario will implement the HST which combines the 5% GST and 8%PST. British Columbia is following Ontario’s lead and will also implement the HST effective July 1, 2010. To learn how this change may effect your imports into Canada, please contact us at consulting@aacb.com. or for more information on HST click here
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Importation of Plants
It is nursery stock season, which makes the Canadian Food Inspection Agency very busy approving releases. For the quickest possible approval from CFIA submit invoices, permits and certificates for clearance as soon as possible. For more information on importing plant click here or email us at consulting@aacb.com or call 1-866-535-1981.
North American Free Trade Certificates (NAFTA)
What constitutes a valid NAFTA certificate? A valid certificate has all the required fields completed with the appropriate information for the goods listed. In order to complete a valid NAFTA you must have knowledge of the product, such as where the materials and components originated from. You may need to know the original HS tariff of the materials and components as well as the value, if imported from offshore.
A & A offers blank certificates and NAFTA tutorials online. To enusre you have a valid NAFTA on file for 2010, please contact us at consulting@aacb.com.
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IPR Center marks World IP Day by seizing $263 million in counterfeit goods
Federal, state and local law enforcement team up in anti-counterfeiting sweeps around the U.S.
WASHINGTON - The federal partners of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) announced April 26 that more than $263 million worth of counterfeit merchandise was seized by law enforcement around the country this month. John Morton, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), revealed these results at an observance of World Intellectual Property Day at the IPR Center in Arlington, Va.
More than $44 million was seized in "Operation Spring Cleaning," a massive nationwide joint enforcement operation involving federal, state and local partners of the IPR Center. An additional $219 million was seized this month as part of a long-term ICE investigation worked with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of counterfeit products manufactured in Asia and smuggled through the Port of Baltimore.
In "Spring Cleaning," 45 persons were arrested on federal and state counterfeiting charges and 703,684 items of counterfeit merchandise were seized in operations in dozens of cities across the United States, including Seattle, Dallas, Houston, New York, Miami, Detroit and Norfolk, Va. The seized counterfeit merchandise includes everything from counterfeit DVDs, circuit breakers, pharmaceuticals, video games and controllers, exercise equipment, sportswear and luxury goods.
"The smuggling and trafficking of counterfeit goods pose a triple threat to the United States," said ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton. "It robs Americans of jobs, it diverts legitimate revenue from responsible industries to the pockets of organized crime and it creates great risks for the American consumers - encouraging the cheap production of everything from substandard goods to tainted pharmaceutical products."
The IPR Center, which has united the U.S. government agencies that combat intellectual property theft, welcomed three significant new partners to the center at the ceremony: the U.S. General Services Administration, Office of the Inspector General (GSA-OIG), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). NCIS and DCIS will focus on the protection of the U.S. military from counterfeit and substandard products while GSA's Office of the Inspector General will focus on protecting the federal civilian supply chain.
They join ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the FBI, the Department of Commerce, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Postal Inspection Service (P.I.S.) and the Government of Mexico Tax Administrative Service.
"The infrastructure of government is threatened when the United States purchases counterfeit products. Working with the IPR Center is a unique opportunity that will strengthen the GSA Office of Inspector General's efforts to better protect the government supply chain," said GSA Inspector General Brian D. Miller.
"The IPR Center will be a valuable tool for the Defense Criminal Investigative Service in our efforts to protect America's war fighters," said James B. Burch, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, Office of Inspector General, Department of Defense. "Crimes such as product substitution, sub-standard parts and loss or compromise of sensitive military technology to potential adversaries directly impacts the safety and welfare of our service men and women, especially in areas where we have ongoing overseas contingency operations."
See full article
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