On March 26, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the next steps in its Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) adopted or under consideration by ten US trading partners. In January, USTR found that the DSTs adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom were subject to action under Section 301 because they discriminated against US digital companies, were inconsistent with principles of international taxation,…
On 25 March 2021, the UK Government announced further measures targeting the Myanmar regime, adding Myanmar Economic Holdings Public Company Ltd (MEHL) to the Global Human Rights financial sanctions regime for its alleged involvement in human rights violations against the Rohingya. MEHL has been added to the UK Sanctions List and to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation’s consolidated list of financial sanctions targets. The UK also named 40 of MEHL’s subsidiaries in its Sanctions List, targeting entities operating in a broad…
On March 11, the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MOF) published a report issued by the Council on Customs, Tariff, Foreign Exchange and other Transactions stating that it would be appropriate to impose a 30.8% anti-dumping duty on dipotassium carbonate originating in South Korea. On March 19, the Suga Cabinet approved a cabinet ordinance imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty. A 30.8% anti-dumping duty will be levied in addition to the 3.9% WTO tariff rate for four…
On March 29, 2021, the Commerce Department announced that it is submitting a notice announcing a delay in the March 29, 2021 effective date of the Aluminum Import Monitoring and Analysis (AIM) system to the Office of the Federal Register. Commerce had published a final rule in the Federal Register on December 23, 2020, adopting the AIM system regulations and establishing an AIM website. The AIM website consists of an online aluminum import license application platform…
On March 18, 2021, the US State Department (State) published a Federal Register notice that formally outlines the various US export controls targeting Russia that will be strengthened pursuant to the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 (CBW Act) as a result of State’s determination that the Russian Government had used a chemical weapon against its own nationals in violation of international law. These measures were previously announced by State and were summarized…
On 23 March 2021, the president of Ukraine enacted Presidential Decree No. 109/2021 dated 23 March 2021 “On the Decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated 23 March 2021 On Imposition, Cancellation and Amendment of Personal Special Economic and Other Restrictive Measures (Sanctions),” effective from 25 March 2021 (“Sanctions Decision”) imposing personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions) against almost 80 Russian companies, 23 Russian individuals and three Members of…
On March 29, 2021, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will publish in the Federal Register a notice of finding that certain disposable gloves produced in Malaysia with the use of convict, forced or indentured labor are being, or are likely to be, imported into the United States [CBP Dec. 21-08]. This Finding applies to any merchandise described in Section II of the notice that is imported on or after March 29, 2021. It also…
On March 26, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) posted an advance copy of a Federal Register notice terminating, as of March 26, 2021, the Section 301 investigations of Digital Services Taxes (DSTs) under consideration by Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union, and Indonesia because these jurisdictions either have not adopted or not implemented a DST during the period of investigation. As of March 25, 2021, Brazil, the Czech Republic,…
The US Government has imposed a series of sanctions against Myanmar Economic Corporation Limited (MEC) and Myanma Economic Holdings Public Company Limited (a.k.a. Myanmar Economic Holding Limited) (MEHL), two military-affiliated conglomerates, in response to the February military coup in Burma (Myanmar). The combined restrictions are likely to have a significant impact on business activities in Burma as these conglomerates have substantial interests and joint ventures in several sectors of the Burmese economy, including trading, natural…
On March 26, 2021, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the next steps in its Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) adopted or under consideration by ten US trading partners. In January, USTR found that the DSTs adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom were subject to action under Section 301 because they discriminated against US digital companies, were inconsistent with principles of international taxation,…