The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-diphosphonic acid (HEDP) from China (A-570-045/C-570-046). The agency will determine whether imports of Chinese HEDP are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or are illegally subsidized. The period under investigation in the CV duty case is Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2015. In the AD duty investigation, it's July 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2015.
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.
The Commerce Department is seeking comment on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the U.S. during the period July 1 through Dec. 31, 2015 (here). Comments are due by May 31.
The Commerce Department issued a Federal Register notice on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigation on ferrovanadium from South Korea (A-580-886) (here). The agency will determine whether imports of merchandise subject to this investigation are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The period of investigation is Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2015.
Modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, requiring importers to issue more precise product declarations, import tariffs, and undercover investigations could complicate ISIS’ illicit trade of cultural antiquities, which some Iraqi officials estimate to be valued at $100 million overall, participants of an April 19 hearing of the House Financial Services Task Force to Investigate Terror Financing said. ISIS is believed to be smuggling stolen historical artifacts through routes spanning through Lebanon, Greece, and Bulgaria, and a large portion of the goods are thought to enter the U.S., as this country comprises 43 percent of the world’s art market, DePaul University law professor and State Department Cultural Property Advisory Committee member Patty Gerstenblith said during the hearing. That is nearly double the second-place United Kingdom. Terrorism sanctions on bootleggers and dealers would be a logical first step to stemming the flow of the snatched goods, as there is currently no general legal principle governing these illicit transports, Gerstenblith said.
Senate Finance Committee leaders introduced companion miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) process reform legislation (here), said the committee on April 13 (here). The Senate bill tracks closely with legislation introduced the same day in the House (see 1604130047) and tasks the International Trade Commission with initially reviewing petitions for eligibility and with proposing products to receive tariff benefits, before sending its product recommendations to Congress for an approval/disapproval vote.
CBP said it created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1602 on April 5, containing 11,308 ABI records and 2,091 harmonized tariff records. Modifications include the addition of PGA indicators, said CBP (here). Adjustments required for the verification of the 2016 Harmonized Tariff Schedule are also included, CBP said in a CSMS message. The modified records can be retrieved electronically via the procedures indicated in the CATAIR. Further information: Jennifer Keeling, Jennifer.Keeling@dhs.gov.
The Court of International Trade recently launched a pilot to test a “small claims” process for trade cases, it said (here). The pilot, which began April 1 and is set to run for 18 months, “has been designed to achieve many of the benefits of a traditional small claims docket, particularly speed, efficiency, and affordability,” said CIT. The small claims procedures limit the costly and often lengthy “discovery” process, during which the parties to a case exchange relevant documents, information and evidence. The results of the pilot will inform CIT’s decision on the maximum dollar amount at stake in a case for use of the small claims procedure, as well as the types of cases that are eligible.
A group of three U.S. manufacturers on April 8 filed a complaint with the Commerce Department and International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate from Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Taiwan, and Turkey, and countervailing duties on cut-to-length plate from Brazil, China and South Korea.
Compass Chemical on March 31 filed a complaint with the Commerce Department and International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping and countervailing duties on 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1- diphosphonic acid (HEDP) from China. The request comes after Commerce revoked AD duty orders on HEDP from China and India in 2014 (see 14053013). Compass says Chinese companies have since resumed dumping and illegal subsidization of HEDP, selling the product at below-market "shut down the factory prices" due to overcapacity issues.
The Commerce Department issued a Federal Register notice on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigation on phosphor copper from South Korea (A-580-885) (here). The agency will determine whether imports of merchandise subject to this investigation are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value. The period of investigation is Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2015.