The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of Jan. 9-15:
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 created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2302 on Jan. 10, containing 36 ABI records and 6 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. The changes involve modifications to the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) high-rate updates, it said in a Jan. 11 CSMS message.
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CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2301 on Jan. 5, containing 839 ABI records and 101 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. The changes involve adjustments required by the verification of the 2023 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, it said in a Jan. 6 CSMS message.
The January 2023 update to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule included several fixes not listed in the change record to resolve technical issues with the final update of 2022 (see 2301030052), according to an International Trade Commission staffer. Revision 12, released in November, had various technical problems due to the deployment of added security features in the data management system, which were not fully compatible with the underlying software. These comparability issues led to omissions, including the elimination of a table of additional duty rates on sugar-containing articles under 9904.17 and an expiration date column in subchapter II of Chapter 99. The HTS system has experienced issues when the custom-built system receives significant updates, the staff member said, but enhancements currently are in the works.
The International Trade Commission posted the 2023 Basic Edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The new HTS implements the removal of AGOA benefits for Burkina Faso, as well as a lengthy list of 10-digit-level changes, including a bevy of new organic provisions for fruits and vegetables, more detailed provisions for plywood of tropical wood, and new tariff breakouts for pillows. Changes were effective as of Jan. 1 unless otherwise noted.
A U.S. manufacturer seeks the imposition of new antidumping duties on gas powered pressure washers from China and Vietnam and countervailing duties on the same product from China, it said in petitions filed Dec. 29 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations, which could result in the imposition of permanent AD/CVD orders and the assessment of AD/CVD on importers. The investigations were requested by FNA Group.
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2230 on Dec. 29, containing 11,465 ABI records and 1,654 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records. The changes involve 484(f) changes, annual stage rate changes, Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) high rate updates, 2023 tariff schedule updates, extended Section 301 product exclusions and PGA HTS flagging, it said in a CSMS message.
The International Trade Commission posted the 2023 Basic Edition of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The new HTS implements the removal of AGOA benefits for Burkina Faso, as well as a lengthy list of 10-digit level changes including a bevy of new organic provisions for fruits and vegetables, more detailed provisions for plywood of tropical wood, and new tariff breakouts for pillows. Changes were effective as of Jan. 1 unless otherwise noted.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the weeks of Dec. 5-11 and Dec. 12-18: