Important CARM Update for Customs Brokers and Importers

By: Dennis Gates, Regional Vice President Northeast Region The announcement of potential tariffs has sparked concern across industries. In November 2024, the U.S. President-elect proposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico. This move could significantly disrupt trade, particularly for goods previously duty-free under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). For importers and their customhouse brokers, these tariffs could bring significant financial and logistical challenges. Understanding the Potential Impact These proposed tariffs may affect a wide array of goods, from raw materials to finished products. Importers need to understand how these changes could increase costs, strain supply chains, and lead […]

Written by Colleen Clarke, SVP, Surety Trade Relations and Business Development Driven by the onset of the trade remedy tariffs in Spring 2018, duties owed on imported goods more than doubled and continue to grow, especially due to by additional duties on goods imported from China. A Surge in Duties, Taxes, and Fees According to Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Trade Statistics, the total amount of duties, taxes and fees collected in FY 2023 was $92.3 billion.  This was a 17.46% decrease from FY 2022, however the amount of duties, taxes and fees increased over 220% compared to FY 2018.  […]

By Matt Zehner, VP, Surety Information & Analysis, Roanoke Insurance Group Inc. Recently, my colleague Colleen introduced Tariffs and Bond Stacking Liability and the need for importers to monitor bond sufficiency on a regular basis, with the goal to avoid a short-notice demand from CBP to terminate and file a larger bond.  One significant reason to planning the timing of when to make use of a larger continuous bond is that by reducing the number of times the bond amount changes over time, the bond principal is able to minimize the accumulation of bond liability.  There are ancillary benefits to importers when […]