The United Kingdom’s HM Revenue & Customs issued a guidance document March 29 detailing value-added tax procedures for imports from Ireland should the U.K. leave the EU with no deal on April 12, as scheduled. Once the U.K. leaves the EU, import VAT will be due on goods moving from Ireland to Northern Ireland, whether those goods are ending their journey in Northern Ireland or are only moving through on the way to Great Britain, HMRC said.

The European Union published a new edition of its Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature tariff schedule in the March 29 Official Journal. “The Explanatory Notes to the CN are considered to be an important aid for interpreting the scope of the various tariff headings but do not have legally binding force,” the EU Commission said in an emailed press release. “The latest version is now available from EU Official Journal C 119 of 29 March 2019. It includes and, where appropriate, replaces those published in the EU Official Journal, C series, up to 4 January 2019.”

The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of March 29 (note that some may also be given separate headlines):

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will not "reduce the service hours for manually processing import declarations transmitted" through the legacy service options "at this time," the agency said in a March 29 notice to industry about integrated import declarations (IIDs). The decision follows industry concerns raised earlier this year, it said. The legacy service options, Other Government Departments (OGD) pre-arrival review system (PARS), or SO 463, and release on minimum documentation (RMD), or SO 471, were set for decommissioning on April 1, 2019, but CBSA said it will instead begin a phased approach on that date (see 1903280062).

Hong Kong issued a warning about trading products that may contain cannabis, THC or cannabidiol (CBD), saying violations will constitute offenses under Hong Kong’s Dangerous Drug Ordinance as well as its food regulations, according to a March 20 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture' Foreign Agricultural Service. Hong Kong specifically warned traders from exporting or importing products that contain CBD. While CBD is not classified as a dangerous drug under Hong Kong’s ordinances, the region’s food safety authority said “it is difficult to extract pure CBD that does not contain any THC,” according to the report. Violators are subject to criminal penalties, the report said, including a maximum penalty of fines of more than $600,000 or imprisonment for life. Hong Kong’s warning was prompted by Canada’s legalization of recreational marijuana last year and a 2018 Hong Kong seizure of nearly 600 pounds of a product, Juicy Wrap, suspected of containing THC, the report said. The product originated in the Philippines and was bound for Canada, according to the report.

Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City Customs Department is proposing several amendments to its value-added tax requirements, including eliminating VAT exemptions for temporary imports and the re-exports of certain goods, according to a report on the Vietnam Customs Department's CustomsNews website. The change would eliminate VAT exemptions for the temporary import and re-export of machinery and equipment used in “investment projects, construction, installation and production,” the report said. Another proposed change would amend a decree for regulating export goods by requiring exporters to provide proof of a “contract for sale” or a “payment receipt” on their customs paperwork, according to the report.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security said the Sensors and Instrumentation Technical Advisory Committee (SITAC) scheduled a partially open meeting April 30 in Washington. The public session will include an remarks from BIS management and industry presentations. The open session will be accessible via teleconference to 20 participants on a first-come, first-served basis. To join via teleconference, submit inquiries by April 23 to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov. A limited number of seats will also be available for in-person attendance at the public session.

The Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security is looking for candidates for its seven Technical Advisory Committees, the agency said in a notice. "Industry representatives are selected from firms producing a broad range of items currently controlled for national security, nonproliferation, foreign policy, and short supply reasons or that are proposed for such controls," BIS said. "Representation from the private sector is balanced to the extent possible among large and small firms." Six of the TACs advise the Commerce Department on the "technical parameters for export controls and the administration of those controls within specified areas." The other TAC "focuses on the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and procedures for implementing the EAR." TAC members can serve a term of up to four consecutive years and must obtain secret-level clearances prior to appointment, BIS said. Resumes should be sent to Yvette Springer at Yvette.Springer@bis.doc.gov.

Lawmakers rejected United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union withdrawal deal for a third time, causing uncertainty about the future of Brexit. The deal was struck down 344-286 in a March 29 vote, on the same day the U.K. was originally scheduled to leave the EU. May had sent a letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk in March requesting a Brexit delay until July 30, but Tusk said the EU would grant a delay only if the U.K. Parliament adopted May’s withdrawal agreement when it voted for a third time (see 1903200068).

China will continue to suspend tariffs on U.S.-made cars and auto parts past April 1, according to a notice from China’s Ministry of Finance. In December, China originally announced it was suspending additional 25 percent tariffs on U.S. vehicles and parts as a show of good faith as the two countries negotiated a trade deal. The tariff suspension was scheduled to end April 1, but China announced on March 31 that the country would be upholding the suspension to “create a good atmosphere for economic and trade consultations between the two sides,” according to an unofficial translation of the announcement. The Ministry of Finance said it will announce at a later date when the extension will expire.