Test participants involved in CBP's National Customs Automation Program test on periodic monthly statements must transmit the payment of supplemental duty bills from an underpayment of estimated duties, taxes and fees via the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH), according to a Federal Register notice.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. -- Artificial intelligence can never fully replace customs brokers because customs work often involves situations that require understanding the context behind an issue in such a way that a machine cannot, trade experts said on a panel during the Western Cargo Conference's annual meeting in Palm Springs, California, last week.
CBP created Harmonized System Update 2538 on Oct. 10, containing 32 Harmonized Tariff Records and 88 Automated Broker Interface records. The update includes Section 232 Timber/Lumber Tariff Updates and Adjustments for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Haiti Hope trade preference programs.
CBP expects to continue to implement new Section 232 tariffs should the government shutdown persist past the effective date of any new tariffs, officials said on an Oct. 1 call with the trade to discuss the government shutdown. CBP also plans to implement expected tariffs, such as the ones for lumber and furniture that take effect Oct. 14, without delays.
CBP created Harmonized System Update 2536 on Sept. 25 (containing 86 Automated Broker Interface records and 19 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records) and Harmonized System Update 2537 on Sept. 26 (containing 36 ABI records and six HTS records). HSU 2536 includes the EU executive order tariff updates and the mushroom assessment increase. HSU 2537 includes a correction to the rates for mushroom fees.
The FDA issued a final rule Sept. 25 that will set a 10-day deadline for submissions of prior notices for food shipments refused because of no prior notice or an inaccurate one, and a 30-day deadline for submissions of food facility registrations (FFR) for shipments held because a facility is unregistered. The changes take effect Oct. 27.
As the trade braces for a possible government shutdown amid the budget impasse in Congress, federal agencies are dusting off their contingency plans while the trade association representing customs brokers continues to offer suggestions about which activities are deemed essential for trade compliance.
National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America leadership raised concerns about the Section 232 tariff inclusion process and plans for an external revenue service in recent meetings on Capitol Hill and with agency officials, NCBFAA customs counsel Lenny Feldman said in an interview.
Federal employees of CBP and other partner government agencies who are involved with import compliance should be designated with “excepted” or “essential” employee status in the event of a government shutdown, the head of the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America recently urged Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought.
The end of the de minimis exemption could favor larger importers that are able to handle the additional data requirements while maintaining fast deliveries to consumers, according to Vince Iacopella, president of trade and government relations for Alba Wheels Up.