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The US government said Monday it is placing a 17 per cent duty on most fresh Mexican tomatoes after negotiations ended without an agreement to avert the tariff. Proponents said the import tax will help rebuild the shrinking US tomato industry and ensure that produce eaten in the US is also grown there. Mexico currently supplies around 70 per ccent of the US tomato market, up from 30 per cent two decades ago, according to the Florida Tomato Exchange. But opponents, including US companies that grow tomatoes in Mexico, said the tariff will make fresh tomatoes more expensive for US buyers. Tim Richards, a professor at the Morrison School of Agribusiness at Arizona State University, said US retail prices for tomatoes will likely rise around 8.5 per cent with a 17 per cent duty. The duty stems from a longstanding US complaint about Mexico's tomato exports and is separate from the 30 per cent base tariff on products made in Mexico and the European Union that President Donald Trump announc
India has imposed anti-dumping duty on four Chinese chemicals so far this month to guard domestic players from unfairly priced imports from the neighbouring country. These duties were imposed on -- PEDA (used in herbicide); Acetonitrile (used in pharma sector); Vitamin -A Palmitate; and and Insoluble Sulphur. In separate notifications, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, Department of Revenue, said that the duty imposed will be levied for a period of five years on imports of these chemicals. The duties were imposed following recommendations for the same from the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR), an arm of the commerce ministry. While on PEDA, the duty will range from USD 1,305.6 to USD 2017.9 per tonne, a duty of up to USD 481 per tonne has been imposed on Acetonitrile imported from China, Russia and Taiwan. Similarly, the government has imposed a duty of up to USD 20.87 per Kg duty on Vitamin -A Palmitate imported from China, European Union and Switzerla
The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) on Friday simplified and harmonised procedure for temporary import of Unit Load Devices (ULDs) or air containers, a move aimed at trade facilitation. With this simplified procedure, ULDs could also be imported temporarily outside the Customs area on execution of a Continuity Bond by the air carriers/air console agents, who take responsibility to export back within the specified time period. A ULD is a special container which is used to load cargo onto an aircraft. In a statement, the finance ministry said as a first step towards streamlining Customs Protocols, and aligning with the international best practices for movement of ULD outside Customs Area, CBIC has stipulated simplified and harmonised procedure for temporary import of ULDs on the lines of procedure already stipulated for marine containers being handled through the seaports since 2005. Further, the CBIC has also decided to waive the transhipment permit fee for all ..
Ahead of the Union budget, Jindal Stainless has pitched for bringing down to nil the import duties on critical raw materials such as molybdenum ore, and continuing with zero duties on pure nickel, ferro-nickel, stainless steel scrap and mild steel scrap. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the Budget in the Parliament on February 1. Molybdenum is used in alloys like ultra-strong steel which is resistant to corrosion and wear. The prevailing customs duty on molybdenum ore is five per cent. In a statement Jindal Stainless Managing Director Abhyuday Jindal said, "We recommend reducing import duties to zero on critical raw materials unavailable in India, such as molybdenum ore, and continuing with zero duties on pure nickel, ferro-nickel, stainless steel scrap, and mild steel scrap." In a bid to give a boost to the demand of stainless steel, Jindal said that the government should continue to prioritise infrastructure spending, with a strong focus on developing mobili
The government, in the forthcoming Budget, could consider levying higher tariffs on imports to check the significant decline in rupee value witnessed in the past few months, said EY Chief Policy Advisor DK Srivastava. The noted economist argued that higher import duties would curb the demand for dollars from importers and help arrest the sliding value of the rupee, which touched a historic low of 86.70 to a dollar on January 13. In an interview with PTI, Srivastava said the sudden downward movement of the rupee against the US dollar is going to be a challenge for policymakers -- for Budget makers on the fiscal side and the RBI on the monetary side. The expectation is that the US economy is going to recover, and therefore, a lot of financial resources are moving to the world's largest economy. Srivastava, who is a Member of the Advisory Council to the 15th Finance Commission, also said it is not just the rupee but other European currencies are also experiencing similar pressure. "In