On May 23, 2011, the President issued Proclamation 8682 which makes certain amendments to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to implement rules of origin changes for certain apparel under the Singapore Free Trade Agreement, revise the tariff treatment for ethyl alcohol and ETBE from Peru, make certain technical corrections to the North American Free Trade Agreement rules of origin for certain organic chemicals, etc.
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.
On May 23, 2011, the President issued a Proclamation making certain amendments to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to implement certain rules of origin changes for the Singapore free trade agreement, revise the tariff treatment for ethyl alcohol from Peru, and make technical corrections for NAFTA.
In the May 11, 2011 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 45, No. 20), CBP published a notice proposing to modify a ruling (HQ H012548), and any other ruling not specifically identified, pertaining to the component definitions of the term "cut but not set" that appears in Chapter 71 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule.
The International Trade Commission has released its second annual compilation of bi-weekly data on textile and apparel imports from China for 2004-2010.
On May 10, 2011, the following trade-related bills were introduced:
The Court of International Trade has ruled in Graphite Sales v. U.S., that while electric heating resistors are prima facie classifiable under both Harmonized Tariff Schedule headings 8516 as "electric heating resistors" and 9613 as "other electrical lighters", the resistors are properly classifiable under duty-free HTS 8516.80.80, as it provides a more specific description.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is announcing a 60 day comment period for the proposed extension and revision of its existing information collection concerning the Documentation Requirements for Articles Entered Under Various Special Tariff Treatment Provisions, which it plans to submit to the Office of Management and Budget for approval.
The Agricultural Marketing Service has announced a referendum to be conducted among eligible producers of red raspberries for processing and importers of processed red raspberries1 to determine whether they favor a new Processed Raspberry Promotion, Research, and Information Order, which would include an assessment (tax).
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed the Court of International Trade's decision in Dell Products LP, v. U.S., that for tariff purposes, goods put up in sets for retail sale refers to goods that are offered to customers as a set for purchase rather than to a collection of goods that are assembled into a set after the customer has purchased them, in which case, the goods would be classified separately.
The International Trade Administration seeks public comments on any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the U.S. during the period July 1 through December 31, 2010.