Government and Policy Sector

President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian exports to the U.S. on Saturday after trade negotiations collapsed, and Canada pledged to match them dollar-for-dollar with retaliatory tariffs effective September 8. The initial U.S. levy targets roughly 5% of Canada's exports—including cement, plywood, alcohol, dairy, paper products, and hockey equipment—enacted under Section 338 of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, a nearly century-old provision no prior administration had used to impose tariffs. Trump also threatened on Monday to raise tariffs on Canadian automobiles and auto parts from 25% to 50% effective January 1, 2027, alongside a matching increase on steel imports, which already sit at 50%. The tariffs hit construction materials hard: copper wire and cable prices are up 17.9% year-over-year, iron and steel up 17.6%, and softwood lumber up 15%, with overall construction materials 7.4% higher than a year ago. Canada and Mexico account for 27% of U.S. cement imports and nearly 7% of U.S. cement consumption; domestic cement producers will gain pricing power nationally as Canadian imports become more expensive. Builders face acute uncertainty: production homebuilding is underwritten 18 to 36 months out, and a 50% tariff imposed with 30 days' notice forces contingency costs into every bid. Non-data-center construction contractors averaged 7.5 months of backlog, compared to 11.4 months for data center work, signaling that tariff-driven cost spikes will dampen starts outside the AI-infrastructure boom. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced C$11 billion in funding for six icebreakers and said Canada is ready to resume talks if the U.S. adopts the "right attitude," while Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested Canada charge the U.S. extra for oil, gas, electricity, and critical minerals—Canada supplies 60% of total U.S. crude oil imports and close to 100% of U.S. natural gas exports. Trade experts said the narrow scope—affecting only about 5% of Canada's exports—makes immediate economy-wide inflation unlikely, though businesses are reluctant to pass tariff costs to consumers given uncertainty over how long Section 338 levies will remain in effect.

The Blockchain Association and Crypto Council for Innovation sued Illinois on August 21 to block a 0.2% digital asset tax scheduled to take effect January 1, 2027, alleging violations of the U.S. Constitution, Illinois Constitution, and the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act. The tax applies to the full value of digital assets whenever a covered broker exchanges, transfers, or stores them for a customer—meaning a user could owe tax without selling, transferring ownership, or earning a profit. The complaint, filed in Sangamon County Circuit Court against Illinois Department of Revenue Director David Harris, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and State's Attorney John Milhiser, sets out six counts. The groups argue the law is unconstitutionally vague because brokers and customers cannot determine with certainty which activities trigger the tax or who must collect it, yet statutory violations expose brokers to Class 3 felony charges. The plaintiffs also claim the tax violates the Commerce Clause by creating the risk of double taxation: a customer with an Illinois address completing a transaction while visiting another state could face competing tax claims from both jurisdictions, since Illinois lacks a credit for comparable tax paid elsewhere. The filing notes that association members are already spending money on outside legal and tax advice and changing systems to calculate and record the levy. This is the second lawsuit challenging the tax; the Digital Chamber filed a separate case in July. The groups seek declaratory and injunctive relief to block enforcement before January 1, 2027.

Pakistan's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority opened its licensing portal on Aug. 22, giving existing crypto service providers until Sept. 5 to apply for preliminary approval or cease operations. The deadline applies to any firm that was providing virtual asset services on or before March 5, when the Virtual Assets Act took effect; those that do not file an application for a no-objection certificate by Sept. 5 must stop affected services, and continuing to operate after that date without filing constitutes a criminal offense under Section 70 of the Act. The framework covers 10 license categories—exchanges, custody, broker-dealer services, advisory, lending and borrowing, derivatives, asset management, transfer and settlement, token issuance, and mining-related services—each with tailored rules on conduct, financial safeguards, technology, and anti-money laundering controls. Licensed providers must segregate customer assets from their own holdings, cannot lend or pledge customer assets without written consent, and cannot touch those assets even if the firm fails. Binance and HTX received preliminary approvals in December 2025 and can now proceed directly toward full licenses. The regulator also opened access to formal banking for licensed VASPs; the State Bank of Pakistan's April 2026 circular permits banks to open accounts for PVARA-licensed providers, including segregated client-money accounts, reversing a longstanding prohibition. Firms that file timely applications may continue current services during review, though PVARA can impose interim restrictions on onboarding, products, transaction volumes, or custody. The framework was built in less than six months following a public consultation in June and July.