The International Trade Administration has issued a fact sheet announcing the initiation of antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on imports of steel wheels from China.
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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a CSMS message on the new Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) dairy product fee assessment1 system requirements that filers and software vendors can use for programming purposes. AMS has requested that CBP begin to collect a dairy product import fee on August 1, pursuant to its March 2011 final rule.
CBP has issued a CSMS message announcing recent changes to the 2011 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HS Update No. 1102). This update contains 4,480 ABI records and 548 harmonized tariff records.
CBP has posted a revised (March 2011) version of its informed compliance publication entitled "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Cutlery of Headings 8211 through 8215 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States."
On April 7, 2011, the following trade-related bills were introduced:
CBP has posted a revised (March 2011) version of its informed compliance publication entitled "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Cutlery of Headings 8211 through 8215 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States."
On March 31, 2011, Senator Wyden and 5 co-sponsors1 introduced S. 704, the U.S. Optimal Use of Trade to Develop Outerwear and Outdoor Recreation (U.S. OUTDOOR) Act. S. 704 would eliminate the import duty for qualifying recreational performance outerwear and establish the Sustainable Textile and Apparel Research (STAR) fund to invest in U.S. technologies and jobs that focus on sustainable, environmentally conscious manufacturing.
The International Trade Administration has made a final affirmative countervailing duty determination that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and exporters of aluminum extrusions from China (C-570-968). The scope of items included in the investigation has also been amended.
The International Trade Administration has made a final affirmative antidumping duty determination that aluminum extrusions from China are being, or are likely to be, sold in the U.S. at less than fair value (A-570-967). The scope of items included in the investigation has also been amended.
The International Trade Commission has posted its February 2011 report for Addendum Investigation 1205-8, which recommends a second group of new Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers for the classification of certain Chapter 64 footwear featuring an outer sole of rubber or plastics with an added textile layer (textile-bottomed footwear). The ITC is recommending fewer tariff changes than proposed. When proclaimed, the changes will retain the affected footwear's lower HTS 6405 duty rates once they are classified in other subheadings due to a new chapter note.