The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has issued a notice announcing that it is modifying the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to reflect that Canada will begin collecting the additional 10% duty on exports to the U.S. of softwood lumber products from the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan for products with a shipment date of September 1, 2010 or later.
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 final rule, effective August 26, 2010, which adopts as final without change, its August 2008 interim final rule that added a new 19 CFR 12.142 to require additional data elements, declarations, and recordkeeping requirements for certain imports softwood lumber and softwood lumber products exported from any country into the U.S.
The International Trade Commission has posted an updated electronic version of the 2010 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (Revision 2) to its Web site that is effective August 26, 2010.
The International Trade Commission is expected to soon post an updated electronic version of the 2010 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (Revision 2) to its Web site. One source indicated that Revision 2 would be posted by August 26, 2010.
CBP has issued a CSMS message announcing recent changes to the 2010 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HS Update No. 1004). This update contains 2670 ABI records and 664 harmonized tariff records.
CBP's Port of New York has issued an Informational Pipeline announcing that as of August 16, 2010, the New York Field Office has instituted a program to streamline coverage of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule between the ports of JFK and New York/Newark. The program has been successfully piloted since March 11, 2010. See Pipeline for details of the commodity coverage and contact names and phone numbers. Pipeline 10-004-NYFO (dated 08/18/10) available via email by sending a request to documents@brokerpower.com.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on August 19, 2010 announced that sugar entering the United States under the fiscal year 2011 raw sugar import tariff-rate quota (TRQ) will be permitted to enter U.S. Customs territory beginning September 1, 2010, a month earlier than the usual first entry date of October 1.
In Aromont USA Inc., v. U.S., the Court of International Trade determined that certain food flavorings (derived from veal, chicken, duck, lamb, beef, fish, lobster, mushroom or vegetable stock), imported from France should not be classified as soups or broths, but instead as unfinished food preparations, principally used as ingredients in gravies, sauces, and salad dressings.
On July 1, 2010, U.S. Customs and Border Protection sent a letter to the International Trade Commission requesting that the ITC commence a Section 1205 investigation1 regarding the possible addition of a new Chapter 98 duty-free provision for certain utilitarian festive articles.
The International Trade Commission has announced that it has changed the date for transmitting its final recommendations to the President in its investigation on proposed Harmonized Tariff Schedule amendments to modify the classification of certain footwear in Chapter 64, in order to take into account various World Customs Organization decisions.