The sweeping tariffs on Canadian, Mexican and Chinese products that President Trump imposed on Tuesday could strain the system that collects import duties and the government agencies that enforce those fees, trade and legal experts said.

       Collecting import duties is usually a routine task, but the new tariffs are being imposed on Mexican and Canadian goods, many of which have been imported into the United States duty-free for many years. Adding to the challenge is the sheer volume of goods subject to the new tariffs — U.S. imports from China, Mexico and Canada totaled over $1.3 trillion last year, or about two-fifths of all imports.

       The tariffs apply a 25 percent duty on goods from Mexico and Canada and an additional 10 percent on imports from China.

       Importers typically employ customs brokers to calculate and pay tariffs to the government agency that collects them, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

       Adam Lewis, a co-founder and the president of Clearit, a customs broker, said that it would not be hard to tweak software to collect the new tariffs, but that a crucial part of the tariffs payment system might need significant adjustments. Importers must buy a “customs bond,” a type of insurance that guarantees the duties will be paid. Mr. Lewis said some customers might have to increase the size of their bonds to cover the extra tariff payments.

       Tracking Trump’s First 100 Days ？ The Trump administration’s previous actions on China and tariffs

       Feb. 7 Temporarily walked back the suspension of de minimis, a type of duty-free treatment ？ Feb. 5 Reversed decision to halt deliveries from China and Hong Kong ？ Feb. 4 Halted deliveries to the U.S. from China and Hong Kong ？ Feb. 3 Described 10% tariffs against China as just “an opening salvo” ？ Feb. 1 Officially announced tariffs on imports from China ？

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       Trump’s New Tariffs Could Strain Collection of Customs Fees - The New York Times

       “Many of their products were coming in duty-free, and all of a sudden there’s going to be a 25 percent increase,” he said. “It’s quite large.”

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