The Commerce Department issued notices in the Federal Register on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on chassis and subassemblies thereof from China (A-570-135/C-570-136). The CV duty investigation covers entries Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2019. The AD duty investigation covers entries Jan. 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020.
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.
The Commerce Department on Aug. 25 published a notice in the Federal Register on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on methionine from France (A-427-831), Japan (A-588-879) and Spain (A-469-822).
CBP Issues Harmonized System Update With Recent Section 301 Exclusions, Tariffs on Canadian Aluminum
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 2007 on Aug. 21, containing 416 Automated Broker Interface records and 77 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records, it said in a CSMS message. The update covers recent Section 301 tariff exclusions and the Section 232 tariffs on aluminum from Canada. Further information: Jennifer Keeling, Jennifer.L.Keeling@cbp.dhs.gov
More companies are seeking drawback payments as the economic slowdown has increased the importance of cash on hand, CBP officials and industry executives said during the American Association of Exporters and Importers virtual conference Aug. 20. “In general, I would say COVID's had a major impact on our businesses and it's also made our company even more focused on getting cash in the door,” said Kathleen Palma, senior executive for international trade compliance at GE. “One of the levers that our leadership has been looking at has been drawback.” At the same time, Palma expects that because the company is bringing in fewer shipments, that will be reflected in fewer drawback claims going forward.
Remote-learning and work-from-home mandates combined with China’s supply chain recovery to send second-quarter PC monitor imports soaring, according to Census Bureau data accessed Aug. 23 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. Shipments to the U.S. took a sharp turn toward commoditization in the quarter, clear evidence of the broad-based consumer demand for desktop displays for pairing with PCs, laptops and other connectivity tools.
The change in marking requirements for products from Hong Kong doesn't subject the goods to tariffs meant for goods from China, CBP confirmed in a list of frequently asked questions posted to the agency's website Aug. 12. “The change in marking requirements does not affect country of origin determinations for purposes of assessing ordinary duties under Chapters 1-97 of the [Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S.] or temporary or additional duties under Chapter 99 of the HTSUS,” CBP said. “Therefore, goods that are products of Hong Kong should continue to report International Organization for Standardization (ISO) country code 'HK' as the country of origin when required.”
The change in marking requirements for products from Hong Kong doesn't subject the goods to tariffs meant for goods from China, CBP confirmed in list of frequently asked questions posted to the agency's website Aug. 12.
High demand for telework and remote-learning connectivity tools sent Q2 laptop and tablet imports soaring by triple digits from Q1, according to new Census Bureau data accessed Aug. 9 through the International Trade Commission’s DataWeb tool. Lockdown-induced TV import growth also was robust in the quarter, but intense commoditization was the story there, even in the largest screen sizes.
CBP is seeking comments by Oct. 6 on existing information collection requests for entry summaries, foreign-trade zone annual reconciliation certification and record keeping requirements, exportation of articles under special bond, cost submissions and entry of articles for exhibition, it said in notices published in the Aug. 7 Federal Register. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of these information collections with no change to the burden hours or the information collected.
The International Trade Commission on July 30 issued Revision 18 to the 2020 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. This latest version implements extended exclusions from list two Section 301 tariffs on products from China under new subheading 9903.88.54 and new U.S. note 20(ggg) to subchapter III of chapter 99. The ITC also made a technical fix to general note 11 for USMCA. The changes are effective July 31.