International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 31 - Aug. 4 in case they were missed.
Customs Duty
A Customs Duty is a tariff or tax which a country imposes on goods when they are transported across international borders. Customs Duties are used to protect countries' economies, residents, jobs, and environments, by limiting the flow of imported merchandise, especially restricted and prohibited goods, into the country. The Customs Duty Rate is a percentage determined by the value of the article purchased in the foreign country and not based on quality, size, or weight.
Consolidated online orders of goods that fall under the de minimis value threshold and are sent directly to the consumer are eligible for Section 321 exemptions, CBP said in a July 26 ruling. Unlike situations in which commercial shipments of low-value products are sent to a retailer to be put up for sale (see 1707310053), CBP allows for duty-free entry of grouped orders addressed to the end customer, CBP said. The ruling request involved e-commerce orders of merchandise through Zara.com and Fashion Retail, a Spanish company that handles shipments of the orders, CBP said.
In the Aug. 2 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 51, No. 31), CBP published notices that propose to revoke or modify rulings and similar treatment for lawn mower tires and imitation wicker chairs.
A mix of “creative cases” is needed to remedy trade violations created by Chinese industrial overcapacity, including Section 301 investigations and self-initiating antidumping and countervailing duty cases, Gilbert Kaplan, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be under secretary of Commerce for international trade, told the Senate Finance Committee Aug. 3. “I think it’s time maybe to dust off … Section 301,” he said. Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 allows the president to take all "appropriate and feasible steps" to eliminate “unreasonable restrictions” of countries found to “burden or restrict” U.S. commerce. The statute authorizes the executive branch to retaliate against these restrictions as well as anti-competitive subsidies through duties, other import restrictions and withholding trade agreement benefits.
The Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee (COAC) for CBP will next meet Aug. 23 in San Diego, CBP said in a notice.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 24-28 in case they were missed.
The Commerce Department proposed to find composite panels consisting of corrosion-resistant steel sheets bonded to a plastic foam core are subject to antidumping and countervailing duties on corrosion-resistant steel products (CORE) from China (A-570-026/C-570-027), in a preliminary scope ruling issued July 27. The agency said the composite panels, which are intended for use on semi-trailer enclosures, have the same physical characteristics, customer expectations and advertising as corrosion-resistant steel. Comments on the preliminary ruling are due Aug. 16.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website July 28, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at http://adcvd.cbp.dhs.gov/adcvdweb.
The aggregate value limit of $800 per day for informal entry and duty-free treatment for commercial shipments covers retailers, rather than end-purchasers, CBP said in a July 19 ruling, HQ H275530. The ruling followed a request from Arkel about the company's ability to ship bike parts under the de minimis value to be stocked by retail stores in the U.S. Section 321 allows for importations under the de minimis value to enter duty free and with less processing by the government.
In the July 19 issue of the CBP Customs Bulletin (Vol. 51, No. 29) (here), CBP published notices that propose to revoke or modify rulings and similar treatment for surgical microscopes and coconut water.