The United Kingdom’s Department for International Trade updated its trade and investment core statistics book with new information on U.K. exports, imports, the trade balance, foreign direct investment and more, according to a March 18 notice. The statistics provide the “most up to date snapshot of the UK’s trade and investment position,” the notice said.

Denmark will postpone payment deadlines for certain value-added tax payments for companies impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a March 17 KPMG post. The measure, which was passed March 17, will allow companies to defer a combined $24 billion worth of payments of taxes and VATs, KPMG said. Denmark postponed the VAT payment deadline for “monthly settlement” companies for 30 days for March, April and May, KPMG said, but VAT for the “whole of 2020 must be stated by” March 1, 2021.

The government of Canada issued the following trade-related notices as of March 18 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The U.S. and Canada will jointly be closing the border to travelers between the countries, but not cargo, President Donald Trump said in a March 18 tweet. “We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic,” he said. “Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!”

Vietnam’s General Department of Taxation will extend deadlines for paying taxes and exempt penalties for late payments for companies impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, who have “suffered great losses,” according to a March 17 report from CustomsNews, the mouthpiece for Vietnam Customs. Companies that need further extensions due to special circumstances -- including “unexpected accidents,” which covers suffering “dangerous diseases” -- can apply for longer extensions, the report said.

Many Chinese leather tanneries have applied for and received tariff exemptions from China’s retaliatory tariff on U.S. goods, according to a March 17 emailed alert from the Leather and Hide Council of America. The council also said China is granting tariff exemptions for products beyond what was included in the original announcement that contained nearly 700 U.S. goods (see 2002180039). The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service issued a March report on China’s step-by-step tariff exclusion guide, providing a translation of the guide to help “familiarize” the U.S. food and agricultural industry with the process. The report contains details on how Chinese companies apply for exclusions, how they document their record of transactions, and what information they must submit to the Chinese authorities. The exclusion process opened March 2.

Applications to become a panelist on a state-to-state dispute settlement panel for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or on a specialized labor panel, will be due by April 20, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in a notice.

The Commerce Department is seeking comments on an information collection relating to voluntary self-disclosures of violations of the Export Administration Regulations, according to a notice in the March 19 Federal Register. Commerce is preparing to submit the collection to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Comments are due no later than April 20.

The Commerce Department is seeking comments on an information collection related to voluntary self-disclosures of antiboycott violations, according to a notice in the March 19 Federal Register. Commerce is preparing to submit the collection to the Office of Management and Budget for review. Comments are due April 20.

The Census Bureau is asking that all data requests and voluntary self-disclosures be submitted electronically in password-protected files, Census said in a March 18 emailed notice to industry. Census said it will continue responding to calls and emails from industry as “many” of its officials telework due to the coronavirus pandemic response, but said disclosures should be sent to the Trade Regulations Branch at emd.askregs@census.gov and data requests should be sent to the Data User & Trade Outreach Branch at gtmd.outreach@census.gov. They can also be faxed to (301) 763-8835. Census will have “limited access” to physical mail during this time.