Order Repealing the United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum): SOR/2019-143

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 153, Number 11

Registration

SOR/2019-143 May 19, 2019

CUSTOMS TARIFF

P.C. 2019-522 May 19, 2019

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, pursuant to subsection 53(2) of the Customs Tariff footnote a, makes the annexed Order Repealing the United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum).

Order Repealing the United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum)

Repeal

1 The United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum) footnote 1 is repealed.

Coming into Force

2 This Order comes into force on the day on which it is registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the Order.)

Issues

On May 17, 2019, the United States (U.S.) and Canada announced an agreement to lift U.S. section 232 tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, as well as Canada’s retaliatory countermeasures.

Background

The United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum) [the Surtax Order] came into force on July 1, 2018, in response to the U.S. having imposed tariffs on imports of certain steel and aluminum products from Canada under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The Surtax Order established a surtax on imports of certain steel and aluminum products from the U.S. at the rates of 25% and 10% respectively.

Objective

Description

The Order Repealing the United States Surtax Order (Steel and Aluminum) [the Order] repeals the surtax of 25% on imports from the U.S. of steel products classified under 131 tariff items, and the surtax of 10% on imports from the U.S. of aluminum classified under 19 tariff items.

Regulatory development

Consultation

During public consultations on the scope of Canada’s countermeasures, and since their application on July 1, 2018, the Government of Canada has publicly indicated that Canada’s countermeasures would remain in place until the U.S. eliminates its tariffs on imports of certain steel and aluminum products from Canada. Additional consultations were therefore not required on this Order.

Modern treaty obligations and Indigenous engagement and consultation

As a result of this Order, benefits in the form of repealed surtaxes will be accessible to anyone seeking to import steel products classified under 131 tariff items and aluminum products classified under 19 tariff items from the U.S., including Indigenous peoples.

Instrument choice

The only viable mechanism to repeal the Surtax Order is an order made under the Customs Tariff.

Regulatory analysis

Costs and benefits

The Order is necessary to repeal the retaliatory surtaxes that Canada imposed on imports of certain steel and aluminum products from the U.S. This will restore surtax-free importations into Canada of U.S. steel and aluminum products. Based on 2017 import data, importations from the U.S. of these goods amounted to $5.59 billion in steel and $2.66 billion in aluminum.

Small business lens

Small businesses will benefit from the restoration of surtax-free trade between Canada and the U.S. Additionally, the Order does not make changes to the process of importing goods, including the required customs forms; rather, it removes the surtax applicable on imports of certain steel and aluminum products from the U.S. Accordingly, there is no incremental change to the level of administrative burden or compliance costs currently imposed on business, including small businesses, as a result of implementing this Order.

“One-for-One” Rule

The “One-for-One” Rule does not apply to the Order, as there is no change in administrative costs to business.

Regulatory cooperation and alignment

This Order is not related to a work plan or commitment under a regulatory cooperation forum.

Strategic environmental assessment

In accordance with The Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan and Program Proposals, a preliminary scan concluded that this Order would not result in positive or negative environmental effects; therefore, a strategic environmental assessment is not required.

Gender-based analysis plus

No gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) impacts have been identified for this Order.

Implementation, compliance and enforcement, and service standards

Implementation

The Canada Border Services Agency is responsible for administering Customs Tariff legislation and regulations, and will ensure that the surtaxes originally established by the Surtax Order, and repealed by this Order, are no longer applied.

Contact

Scott Winter
Director
Trade and Tariff Policy
International Trade Policy Division
Department of Finance Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G5
Telephone: 613‑369‑4034