U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a revised version of its informed compliance publication entitled, What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Fasteners of Heading 7318.
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 has posted an updated version (version 2.1) of its ACE Entry Summary Instructions document, which provides guidance to ACE users on what entry summary information to provide in ACE. (Instructions, posted 04/05/10, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/trade/trade_programs/entry_summary/ace/ace_es_instructions.ctt/ace_es_instructions.doc)
The House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees have been working to develop an omnibus Miscellaneous Trade Bill.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a revised version of its informed compliance publication entitled, What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: the Agricultural Actual Use Provisions - Tariff Classification Issues of Headings 9817.00.50 and 9817.00.60.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is issuing correcting amendments to the assessment table in its Potato Research and Promotion Plan regulations (7 CFR Part 1207) to reflect the January 1, 2009 modification of certain Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers for imported potatoes.
The World Trade Organization frequently posts communications to WTO members on issues that involve the U.S. The following are short summaries of such issues for February 2010:
The International Trade Commission has issued a notice announcing that on February 26, 2010, it instituted an investigation (Inv. No. 1205-7) on proposed modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTS), pursuant to section 1205 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988.
In a test case, BenQ America Corporation, v. U.S., the Court of International Trade agreed with Customs, ruling that certain liquid crystal display monitors with a video interface are properly classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 8528.21.70 as video monitors at 5% ad valorem.
Broker Power is making its lists of 2010 "General" Column 1 duty rates for knit and crocheted (knit) and woven apparel in Chapters 61 and 62 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule available as a "single package" in pdf, "tabbed", format.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has sent a letter to the International Trade Commission stating that the U.S. and Bahrain recently reached an agreement in principle on certain modifications to the rules of origin for home furnishings (sheets, pillow cases, etc.) under the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement.