Resources

With Virginian exports amounting to over $3.2 billion in goods to Canada annually, Canada is the largest export partner for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States at large. In view of its huge market, Canada presents major trade and business investment opportunities for many Virginia companies owing to their well-educated workforce, wealth of natural resources, and low tax rates for new business investments.
 
This report is the second installment of the Export Guide Canada, and aims to give Virginia companies a better understanding of the requirements and steps necessary for establishing a business presence in Canada, as well as a comprehensive overview of the import and trade show process. It covers:

• Establishing a presence in Canada
• Preparing for a trade show in Canada
• The Canadian Labor Code
• Patents & Intellectual Property
• USMCA

As the largest country in South America by both landmass and population, Brazil faces unique challenges and opportunities for growth and innovation in the ICT sector. Brazil has been internationally recognized for the quality of its ICT solutions developed across several areas, including financial services, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and e-government. In 2021, Brazil’s ICT sector grew by 18.3%, representing 6.9% of Brazil’s total GDP.
 
There are many opportunities for Virginia companies to provide ICT goods and services into Brazil. Many of those opportunities will be created by the deployment of 5G in Brazil in the coming years. By July 2022, there will be 5G coverage in all 26 capital cities in Brazil. By 2029, there will be 5G coverage to all Brazilian municipalities with more than 30,000 inhabitants.
 
This report on the Brazilian ICT Industry overviews Brazil’s ICT subsectors, the impact of COVID on Brazil’s digitalization efforts, 5G deployment, key ICT investments in the next three years, market trends, and regulatory frameworks. It also highlights ICT trade shows in Brazil.

In recent years the Saudi market has been opening up as the Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), seeks to reposition the Kingdom with less reliance on oil and a more sustainable economic foundation for his country. The process to open-up the Kingdom is not easy and has resulted in the largest transformation program that the world has ever seen. Under the banner of Vision 2030, MBS has set out the priorities for the Saudi Government for the next 10 years and these focus on the diversification of the economy away from oil and the creation of jobs for huge, youthful Saudi national population. We now see opportunities in all sectors that were previously difficult or impossible for foreign businesses to access such as in education, training, construction and the healthcare sector.
 
Defense, however, has always been ‘open’ to western suppliers and prime contractors to a certain extent. The security relationship between the Kingdom and the US (and other key defense partners such as the UK and France) has always been shored up by defense sector procurement contracts.
 
The Defense Industry in Saudi Arabia report outlines general market entry strategy for Virginia businesses looking to sell into the Saudi defense market. It also provides an overview of current trends in the market, including government bodies and defense news, and details government & defense sector procurement.

As the largest export partner for the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States at large, Canada presents major trade opportunities for many Virginia companies. Canada’s economic pulse in 2022 is still being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertain global economic and political conditions. However, supply chain disruptions have not halted Canadian economic recovery. The OECD projects that the Canadian economy will grow at a considerable rate of 3.9% in 2022 and 2.8% in 2023.
 
This report, Export Guide Canada, aims to give Virginia companies a better understanding of requirements and steps of the import process to Canada. It covers:

• Canadian logistics and shipping network
• Required customs documents
• Steps to get through Canadian customs
• Non-Resident Importer status and registration process
• Sales tax calculations
• Packaging (marking & labelling)

All U.S. exports are regulated by the U.S. Federal Government. In order to comply with federal law, your company must determine which government agency has jurisdiction over its exports.

The two most important export control laws are: Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (U.S. Department of Commerce) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (U.S. Department of State). To determine which agency regulates your exports, use the tables on the Export Regulations guide.

Additional export compliance considerations:

• U.S. exporters may not participate in international boycotts not sanctioned by the U.S.
• U.S. exporters must comply with foreign trade embargoes
• Exporters should be aware of restrictions on “re-exports” and “deemed exports”

What is an IC-DISC? The Interest Charge-Domestic International Sales Corporation (IC-DISC) is a tax saving vehicle for U.S. exporters. Eligible U.S. companies can recoup or exceed their tax savings on exported product (and in some cases services) revenue by creating an IC-DISC.

Qualified exporters can receive a permanent tax savings of 20 percent or more on Federal income tax from export profits by utilizing an IC-DISC.

If you are unsure if your company is eligible to set up an IC-DISC to take advantage of tax savings, ask the following questions:

1. Do you have any transactions outside of the U.S.?
2. Do you use overseas distribution?
3. Does your product cross any borders?
4. Are you generating operating income?

If the answer to any of these is yes, an IC-DISC may be a valuable tax savings option for your business.