Rift looms over potential tax on goods

WASHINGTON — A proposed tax on goods entering the U.S. from Canadian ports could severely harm trade relations, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt warned Tuesday.

The Maritime Goods Movement Act, sponsored by two Washington state senators, would extend the Harbour Maintenance Tax currently imposed on cargo entering U.S. ports to cargo shipped to the U.S. via Canadian ports.

“This is an issue of grave concern to port authorities in our country and to the government of Canada,” she said in a speech to the American Association of Port Authorities.

“Rest assured,” she warned, “we will vigorously defend our trade interests and the rights attained through our international trade agreements.”

Raitt is in Washington to meet with U.S. Transport Secretary Anthony Foxx and other officials as part of ongoing discussions about integrating standards. Among the chief issues are rail tank cars and liability insurance.