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ITC Final Report on 2nd Set of HTS Changes for Rubber-Soled Footwear Available

The International Trade Commission has posted its February 2011 report for Addendum Investigation 1205-8, which recommends a second group of new Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers for the classification of certain Chapter 64 footwear featuring an outer sole of rubber or plastic with an added textile layer (textile-bottomed footwear). The recommended changes are intended to retain the affected footwear's lower HTS 6405 duty rates, once they are classified in other subheadings (6404.11, 6404.19, and 6402.99) due to a new chapter note.

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The U.S. Trade Representative had asked for this second investigation on November 8, 2010, based on industry requests, and the ITC's recommended tariff changes for this second set were sent to Congress for a required 60 legislative-day layover period on March 2, 2011.

A first group of recommended tariff changes for similar footwear was sent to Congress for its 60 legislative-day layover period in September 2010. Sources have indicated that both sets of changes, along with the new HTS 64 Chapter note, are expected to be implemented by a single Presidential Proclamation in the July 2011 time frame.

See future issue of ITT for a detailed summary of this report. (Note that the ITC's February report's tables of new tariff numbers for this second group appear to be different from the information posted by the ITC in December, and will be discussed in the upcoming detailed summary.)

(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/04/11 news, 11030436, for BP summary stating that the second set of changes was sent to Congress.

See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/14/10 news, 10121351, for BP summary stating that the ITC hopes that once the Congressional lay over periods for the original investigation and addendum investigation end, both sets of changes will be implemented by a single Proclamation, with a trade source speculating that implementation could occur during the July 1, 2011 time frame.

See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/06/10 news, 10120637, for initial BP summary of the ITC’s announcement of the addendum investigation.

See ITT’s Online Archives or 12/13/10 news, 10121322, for BP’s detailed summary of the August 2010 report on Investigation 1205-8 covering the first group of recommended changes.)