U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota on Edam and Gouda cheeses provided for in Chapter 4, Additional U.S. Note 20 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, will open on January 3, 2012.
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 Proclamation that will amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to implement hundreds of WCO-recommended tariff changes is currently pending Presidential signature. Once signed, it will be published in the Federal Register and will take effect on January 1, 2012 or 30 days after publication, whichever date is later. A list of these tariff changes, which affect many products, is provided below.
The Agricultural Marketing Service has published in the Federal Register a notice stating that the regulations establishing an industry-funded Christmas Tree Promotion, Research, and Information Order that was to be financed by an assessment (fee or tax) of $0.15 on each U.S. domestic and imported fresh cut Christmas tree, starting November 9, 2011, are stayed indefinitely.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota on American-type cheese, including Colby, provided for in Chapter 4, Additional U.S. Note 19 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, will open on January 3, 2012.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota on dried milk provided for in Chapter 4, Additional U.S. Note 7 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule will open on January 3, 2012 with a low-duty quantity of 5,261,000 kg.
The International Trade Administration has issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells, whether or not assembled into modules (solar cells) from China (A-570-979 and C-570-980).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota on blue-mold cheese provided for in Chapter 4, Additional U.S. Note 17 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule will open on January 3, 2012. The below listed countries have the following low-duty access amounts:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota for milk and dried cream provided for in Chapter 4, Additional U.S. Note 8 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule will open on January 3, 2012 with a low-duty quantity of 3,321,300 kg.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota for cheddar cheese and cheese substitutes as provided for in Chapter 4, Additional U.S. Note 18 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule will open on January 3, 2012, with the below-listed countries having the following low-duty quantities:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a memorandum announcing that the 2012 tariff rate quota for chocolate and low-fat chocolate crumb provided for in Chapter 18, Additional U.S. Note 3 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule will open on January 3, 2012.