Argentina is increasing its “statistical tax” on all imports for consumption and temporary imports, it said in a May 6 notice in the Argentine Official Bulletin. Effective May 7, the rate rose to 2.5 percent, up from 0.5 percent, the notice said. Similar to the U.S. Merchandise Processing Fee, the Argentina statistical tax, which is meant to cover the costs of administrative work around imports, is limited to maximum amounts based on the value of the imports. The May 6 notice sets those limits at $150 for imports up to $10,000; $2,500 for imports between $10,000 and $100,000; $25,000 for imports between $100,000 and $1,000,000; and $125,000 for all imports above $1,000,000.

The Canada Border Services Agency replaced a notice issued in January on positioning empty containers, it said in Customs Notice 19-07. The replacement notice "is issued to amend the information on how shipping companies using foreign-flagged vessels to reposition empty containers (that they own or lease) in Canadian waters (on a non-revenue basis) are to be treated," the CBSA said.

The Mexican Tax Administration Service issued a notice May 8 amending the country’s Foreign Trade Regulations. Changes include the addition and removal of tariff subheadings -- all involving textiles, apparel and footwear -- from several annexes that list goods subject to import permits, goods that are prohibited from transit, and goods that may be moved through certain ports, among other things, according to a Confederation of Mexican Customs Broker Associations (CAAAREM) circular posted by consultancy AJR Comercio Exterior. The notice also makes changes to requirements for Mexican customs brokers.

Canadian Minister for International Trade Diversification James Carr said Canada is "following with great interest" what the Senate Finance Committee chairman and other Republicans senators are saying about Section 232 tariffs. "We will see how they decide to work that out," he said at the Council of the Americas conference May 7. He said that even though none of the countries got everything they wanted in the new NAFTA, Canada's government wants to see it ratified. "We negotiated for 14 months in good faith, we found alignment with our trading partners, we want to see it ratified. There are irritants, though, and the 232 tariffs on the steel and aluminum -- which we believe to be unwarranted -- are a real problem. It's going to be difficult to ratify the agreement as long as those tariffs are in place." He said Canadians are talking with U.S. counterparts about the tariffs, "and we hope they will be removed."

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of May 8 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

Recent editions of Mexico's Diario Oficial list trade-related notices as follows:

Mexico will move the headquarters of its customs service to Nuevo Laredo, said General Administrator of Customs Ricardo Peralta, according to a report in La Verdad de Tamaulipas. Peralta confirmed the move during a meeting in Mexico City with Mayor Enrique Rivas Cuellar of Nuevo Laredo, Mayor Pete Saenz of Laredo, Texas, and Edgardo Pedraza Quintanilla of the Nuevo Laredo Customs Broker Association, the report said. The “decentralization” process is part of a broader customs reform that will see the creation of an independent Mexican customs agency (see 1904150042).

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will soon begin to add the first commodity group of a phased-in approach for implementing organic import requirements in the Automated Import Reference System, the CFIA said in a May 7 email. "To implement the import requirements into AIRS, CFIA will use a phased-in approach which will involve creating new commodity identifiers (OGD extension codes) for organic products by commodity type," it said. "The fresh fruits and vegetables will be the first commodity group to be implemented on May 29th, 2019. The list of the new OGD extensions will be made available prior to the AIRS publication."

The National Marine Manufacturers Association celebrated Canada's full removal of tariffs on multiple types of boats from the U.S., in a May 6 news release. The Department of Finance Canada recently announced the change, which is expected to run in Canada Gazette on May 15, the NMMA said. Effective April 30, Canada's 10 percent retaliatory tariffs won't apply to the following items:

The Canada Border Services Agency updated the Regulated Commodities Data Element Matching Criteria Tables for use with Integrated Import Declarations, the CBSA said in a May 6 email. Effective May 6, the agency said it updated the tables for headings covered by Transport Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Health Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Global Affairs Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. The update will appear on CBSA's website, though the agency notes that the website is still being updated.