The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements added certain cuprammonium rayon filament yarns to the list of items not available in commercial quantities in a timely manner under Appendix 4-B-1 of the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KFTA). The yarns, which are classified in subheading 5403.39 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, were added in unrestricted quantities. Effective April 18, textile or apparel goods imported into the U.S. containing these textured and non-textured cuprammonium rayon filament yarns will be treated as originating goods, regardless of the actual origin of those inputs. Dae Yong Textile Co., Ltd. requested the addition to the KFTA short supply list in March (see 14032423).
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.
CBP should revise its regulations for customs brokers to expand the definition of "corporate compliance activity," the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said in comments recently filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). RILA's comments, filed in response to a DHS request for public input on regulatory changes it should consider (see 14022621), focused on a wide range of CBP regulations that the association said deserve review. The retailers were one of only a few commenters that raised customs issues with DHS.
The International Trade Commission named James Holbein director of its Office of Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements. In that capacity, Holbein will be responsible for maintaining the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. He had previously served as Secretary to the Commission since 2011.
After a delay of over two years, assessment fees on imports of Christmas trees will take effect as the Agricultural Marketing Service lifted a stay on its marketing order. Effective April 8, Christmas trees imported into the U.S. (as well as domestically produced trees) will be subject to a $0.15 fee per tree.
A domestic sugar industry coalition on March 28 filed a request for new antidumping and countervailing duties on sugar from Mexico (A-201-845/C-201-846). The American Sugar Coalition says cheap dumped and subsidized imports of sugar from Mexico have “destroyed the economics” of the U.S. sugar industry, forcing U.S. producers to forfeit their product under the U.S. Department of Agriculture loan program, and resulting in USDA paying hundreds of millions of dollars to remove surplus sugar from the U.S. market.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is asking the public for comments on the new World Trade Organization (WTO) environmental goods agreement, in preparation for a June 5 hearing on the matter. USTR aims to launch negotiations on the agreement within months, after first announcing interest in June alongside 12 other nations and the European Union (see 14032415). The comments are due on May 5 and should include information on the following areas:
The Commerce Department’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) recently received two requests to put new yarns on the short supply list for the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KFTA). In a request submitted March 18, Heritage Cashmere Korea requests that OTEXA place certain cashmere yarns on the short supply list. In another request filed March 11, Dae Yong Textile requests that certain textured and non-textured cuprammonium rayon filament yarns be added to the list.
CBP is modifying the scope of products covered by several Centers of Excellence and Expertise and eligible types of entries, in a March 10 Federal Register notice. The changes affect which products are covered by the Automotive & Aerospace; Base Metals; Consumer Products & Mass Merchandising; Industrial & Manufacturing Materials; Machinery; and Petroleum, Natural Gas & Mineral CEEs. New entry types include temporary importation under bond (TIB), trade fair, and antidumping/countervailing duty consumption entries. The notice also waives a CBP regulation to allow CEE test participants to submit corrected claims for duty-free treatment to the CEEs, and clarifies that responses to Notices of Action and Requests for Information must be sent electronically to the participant’s designated CEE. All of the changes take effect March 10.
The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on carbon and alloy steel wire rod from China (A-570-012/C-570-013). The agency will determine whether imports of steel wire rod from China are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or illegally subsidized.
CBP posted an updated version of its notice announcing that the next customs broker license exam will be on Monday, April 7.