CBP is issuing a “blanket” authorization to allow the release of most types of merchandise on or after Dec. 16 through Dec. 31 under Immediate Delivery (ID) procedures, it said in a CSMS message. Many entry filers make regular use of ID procedures for fresh fruits and vegetables and other merchandise from Mexico and Canada, 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.
Though TVs with the largest screen sizes maintained their dominance in the mix of October imports coming into the U.S., shipments skewed toward sets with screen sizes under 45 inches, according to Census Bureau data accessed Dec. 13 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. October imports of laptops and tablets, meanwhile, continued their torrid growth trend, recording the category’s highest monthly volume in six years.
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2008 Dec. 7, containing 37,804 Automated Broker Interface records and 6,935 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records, it said in a CSMS message. The update covers recent restrictions to Thailand's benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program and cotton fee changes (see 2010020009). Further information: Jennifer Keeling, Jennifer.L.Keeling@cbp.dhs.gov
The International Trade Commission seeks comments on recommended changes to the tariff schedule that would take effect on Jan. 1, 2022. Required to implement the 2022 version of the World Customs Organization’s Harmonized System, which is updated every five years and forms the six-digit backbone of the U.S. tariff schedule, the proposed changes would be the most extensive since the last time the HS was updated in 2017. Affected products include, among others, 3D printers, drones, smartphones, electric vehicles, e-waste, antiquities, olive oil and test kits for mosquito-borne diseases. Comments are due to the ITC by 5:15 p.m. EST on Dec. 14, the commission said in a Nov. 20 news release. The ITC will submit its final recommendations to the White House in March 2021.
The Commerce Department issued a notice in the Federal Register on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on polyester textured yarn from Indonesia (A-560-838), Malaysia (A-557-823), Thailand (A-549-843) and Vietnam (A-552-832).
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on utility scale wind towers from India, Malaysia and Spain (A-533-897, A-557-821, A-469-823), and countervailing duty investigation on wind towers from India and Malaysia (C-533-898, C-557-822).
The World Customs Organization on Nov. 13 released correlation tables comparing the upcoming 2022 version of the Harmonized System tariff schedule with the 2017 version. “While not legal instruments, the Correlation Tables have become essential tools for Members and the wider trade community in preparing for the introduction of a new edition of the HS. These tables provide guidance on the correlations between the Seventh Edition of the Harmonized System (HS), which comes into force on 1 January 2022 and the current HS 2017 (Sixth Edition) of the HS,” the WCO said. One of the two tables correlates the 2022 version with the 2017 version, and includes explanations of any changes. The other sets the correlation starting from the 2017 version to the 2022 version, the WCO said.
Face masks made in Ethiopia from fabric and other materials sourced from Thailand are products of Thailand, and are not eligible for duty benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act, CBP said in a ruling issued Oct. 22 and posted to the agency’s online database on Nov. 2.
CBP issued a CSMS message Nov. 2 detailing changes to eligibility for Generalized System of Preferences duty benefits as a result of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s 2020 GSP review. Effective Nov. 1, fresh-cut roses are newly eligible for GSP, while par-boiled rice is no longer eligible for duty-free treatment under the program. USTR also declared six county-product pairs ineligible for exceeding competitive needs limitations (CNLs), and will allow 24 country-product pairs that exceeded CNLs to remain eligible under de minimis waivers.