CBP is seeking comments by Nov. 15 on an existing information collection for document requirements for special tariff treatment provisions, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the information collected or to the estimated burden hours associated with the collection.
Harmonized Tariff Schedule
The Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) is a reference manual that provides duty rates for almost every item that exists. It is a system of classifying and taxing all goods imported into the United States. The HTS is based on the international Harmonized System, which is a global standard for naming and describing trade products, and consists of a hierarchical structure that assigns a specific code and rate to each type of merchandise for duty, quota, and statistical purposes. The HTS was made effective on January 1, 1989, replacing the former Tariff Schedules of the United States. It is maintained by the U.S. International Trade Commission, but the Customs and Border Protection of the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for interpreting and enforcing the HTS.
A domestic manufacturer and a labor union filed a petition on Oct. 5 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on forged steel fittings from China, Italy and Taiwan, and new countervailing duties on forged steel fittings from China. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations on forged steel fittings that could eventually result in the assessment of AD/CV duties. The petition was filed by Bonney Forge Corporation and the United Steelworkers Union.
The World Customs Organization's Harmonized System Committee is working to prepare for the next harmonized tariff schedule coming in 2022, the WCO said in an Oct. 9 news release. The HSC recently met in Brussels and provisionally adopted six sets of amendments to the nomenclature, it said. Also during the meeting "some decisions on the classification of goods were submitted to the HS Review Sub-Committee for consideration of possible amendments to the Nomenclature to facilitate the classification of various products, such as 3D printers for example, and motor vehicle windscreens," it said. "Productive discussions were held on how to classify products newly released on to the world market, in areas which included cutting-edge technology (for example, equipment for manufacturing LCD modules), the food industry (for example, blanched green shell mussels), and the tobacco industry, with a useful exchange on how to classify new tobacco products."
With CBP regulations on new drawback procedures still not issued, software developers are growing concerned about whether they will be ready for the new system’s upcoming deployment in ACE. CBP has pledged to have capabilities in place for the new Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act drawback provisions on Feb. 24, but though the agency has found funding and begun its own programming efforts, software developers have been unable to start coding, leaving little time for testing before the deadline, several developers said in interviews.
The Chemours Company filed a petition on Sept. 28 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on polytetrafluoroethylene resin from China and India, as well as new countervailing duties on PTFE resin from India. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations on PTFE resin that could eventually result in the assessment of AD/CV duties. PTFE resin is more commonly known by Chemours' trade name "Teflon."
A group of domestic plastics manufacturers filed a petition on Sept. 25 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on polyethylene terephthalate resin from Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan. Commerce will now decide whether to begin an AD duty investigation on PET resin from these five countries. DAK Americas, Indorama Ventures, M&G Polymers USA and Nan Ya America filed the petition
China’s customs regime could benefit from standardized procedures across all ports as well as joint work between the U.S. government and Chinese Customs to stop counterfeits from leaving China, trade groups said in comments to the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) regarding China’s adherence to its World Trade Organization commitments.The U.S. Council for International Business (USCIB) detailed several aspects of how China can improve its customs administration, calling for the U.S. to ensure China posts annual changes to its Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) at least three months before the effective date, establishment of a bilateral customs dialog, and private-sector sharing of best practices to enhance an automated clearance process laden with “uncertainty and inefficiencies.”
The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on titanium sponge from Japan and Kazakhstan (A-588-877, A-834-809), and countervailing duty investigation on titanium sponge from Kazakhstan (C-834-810).
CBP is aiming to release rules for entry filings of goods valued under the $800 de minimis threshold "before the end of the calendar year," said Brenda Smith, executive assistant commissioner for the CBP Office of Trade, on Sept. 12 during the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America conference in Washington. CBP knows "it's a big deal" to customs brokers "whether we require the classification on all small packages," she said. It's a "thorny issue," but "I think we are close to having kind of the final conversations," so "look forward to that in the next couple months."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture revised the appendices to its Dairy Tariff-Rate Import Quota Licensing Regulation for the 2017 tariff-rate quota year, in a final rule that takes effect Sept. 13. USDA is making the changes to reflect the cumulative annual transfers from Appendix 1 to Appendix 2 for certain dairy product import licenses permanently surrendered by licensees or revoked by the Foreign Agricultural Service.