Insights

Same day delivery: Ignoring the elephant in the room

April 15, 2014.
Logistics Publications

Whether we like it or not, people in the logistics world are facing two major trends: the increase of e-commerce and the desire to immediately receive online orders in their hands. Companies like Amazon are partnering with the United States Postal Service (USPS) for Sunday Deliveries and testing same-day delivery...

An Exceptionally Oversized and Heavy Convoy

April 13, 2014.
Logistics Publications

March 5, 2014 will be a day to remember for many people of Belfort, especially those who work at General Electric, as this was when the largest gas turbine manufactured by GE in Belfort, France, named 9HA-01, was completed. There have been huge challenges for General Electric’s manufacturing, logistics, and...

To TIB or Not to TIB

April 12, 2014.
Trade Publications

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) offers several programs that allow importers to save on duties and taxes. One of these programs is the Temporary Importation Under Bond or TIB program. Like most CBP related programs for reducing duty payments, this process can be complex and costly if not...

Senate Finance Committee Passes Bill to Extend Bonus Depreciation

April 10, 2014.
Tax Publications

The EXPIRE Act (Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency) was passed in the Senate Finance Committee on April 3, 2014. Part of the act included provisions for extending bonus depreciation under Section 168(k). Bonus Depreciation For over a decade, bonus depreciation has popped in and out of the tax code as...

Is your sourcing strategic?

April 02, 2014.
Logistics Publications

Strategy is a plan of action, or policy, designed to achieve an overall aim. Sourcing is the buying of a product or service delivery from a supplier. Strategic Sourcing is an organized and collaborative approach to leveraging targeted spending across locations with select suppliers that are best suited to create...

President Signs Ukraine Related Executive Order

April 01, 2014.
Trade Publications

The president of the United States has signed a new executive order that prohibits transferring or exporting US property to anyone who is furthering the current situation in the Ukraine. http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/OFAC-Enforcement/pages/20140317.aspx All property and interests in property that are in the...

Virginia Rules Post-Sale Technical Training Development Creates Nexus

March 30, 2014.
Tax Publications

The Virginia Tax Commissioner has recently ruled that an employee’s home office in Virginia, wherein test methods for post-sale training were developed, created nexus for income tax despite the training itself being conducted out of state. (Virginia Public Document Ruling 13-172, 09/19/2013). Facts The taxpayer’s only tie...

Ask Your Logistics Expert... What is EEI and who needs to take care of this?

March 30, 2014.
Logistics Publications

Q: What is EEI and who needs to take care of this? A: Foreign Trade Regulations and determining if an Electronic Export Information (EEI) is required. Mandatory EEI filing through the Automated Electronic System (AES) went into effect on October 2, 2008. This required specific filing for tangible cargo with a...

EU Proposes Measures for Conflict Mineral Importers

March 29, 2014.
Trade Publications

The European Union (EU) has proposed a set of measures to encourage the responsible trading of tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold in an effort to reduce the financing of armed groups in conflict areas (such as the Democratic Republic of Congo). The proposed rule is similar to the United States...

House’s 7 Principles for Internet Sales Tax Bill

March 28, 2014.
Tax Publications

House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Bob Goodlatte, (R-Va.) released seven principles for devising an Internet Sales Tax Bill on September 18. This is a follow-up to the passage of the Senate legislation in May of 2013. In a press release, Goodlatte said, "The aim of the principles is to provide a...

Qualities of a Fair State Tax Administration Part 2 – Even-Handed Statute of Limitations and Interest Rates

March 28, 2014.
Tax Publications

This is the second in a series of posts about the qualities of a fair state tax administration. These measurements were used by the Council on State Taxation (COST) to analyze each state’s fairness in administering its taxes. The qualities discussed in this article are even-handed...

Qualities of a Fair State Tax Administration Part 1 – Independent Appeals

March 27, 2014.
Tax Publications

This is the first in a series of posts about the qualities of a fair state tax administration. These measurements were used by the Council on State Taxation (COST) to analyze each state’s fairness in administering its taxes. Their fifth annual report is found here. The...