The UK announced on 21 April 2022 that it will introduce import bans on silver, wood products and other high-end products from Russia including caviar. The UK also announced that it will increase tariffs by 35 percentage points on certain products from Russia and Belarus. The products which will face the additional 35 percent tariff (on top of any tariffs that are currently applicable) range from arms and ammunition, pharmaceutical products, rubber, textiles to luxury…
Baker McKenzie has launched the new COVID-19 Product Import/Export Review (“COVID-19 PIER”), a multijurisdictional tracker that will help companies stay on top of export restrictions and import measures related to products in actual or feared short supply during the pandemic. As companies seek to protect their personnel and reopen safely, they may find it challenging to navigate a complex and rapidly changing global patchwork of export and import measures relating to personal protective equipment, other…
UK HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) has issued a communication stating that it is willing to consider extending payment deadlines on a case-by-case basis, for importers facing severe financial difficulties as a direct result of COVID-19. Businesses holding a duty deferment account may request an extension of the payment deadline for deferred customs duty and import VAT, without needing to call on a guarantee, increasing their guarantee limit, or risking their deferment account being suspended. …
On 20 March 2020, the European Commission announced that it intends to introduce exemptions from customs duty and import VAT for “protective equipment, other relevant medical devices or equipment in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak”, following a request from the Italian government. Relief is to be granted under provisions of the EU’s customs and import VAT legislation granting relief for items “for the benefit of disaster victims”, where they are to be made available…