CBP is seeking comments by July 26 on an existing information collection for holders or containers that enter the U.S. duty free, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the information collected or to the estimated burden hours associated with the collection.
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 Office of the U.S. Trade Representative created a new site meant to help importers navigate the Section 301 tariff process. The page describes some basics of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, and has an HTS number search feature to help determine if a product is subject to the tariffs.
The Consumer Technology Association “urges the administration to quickly implement a broader and more effective exclusion process for List 4” than it did for lists 1 and 2, it said in comments posted in docket USTR-2019-0004. “Unlike the product exclusion process for the first two tranches of tariffs,” which required applicants to submit requests by a hard deadline, “circumstances warrant” installing a process for List 4 that works “on a rolling basis,” it said.
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1911 on June 11, containing 4 Automated Broker Interface records and 1 Harmonized Tariff Schedule record, it said in a CSMS message. The update includes adjustments required by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative's announcement of new exemptions from Section 301 tariffs on China (see 1906030038). Modifications required by the verification of the 2019 HTS are included as well.
CBP is seeking comments by July 15 on an existing information collection for merchandise subject to actual use provisions, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the information collected or to the estimated burden hours associated with the collection.
The International Trade Commission issued Revision 7 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The revised tariff schedule now reflects the removal of India from the Generalized System of Preferences program (see 1905310072), with the country removed from lists of GSP beneficiaries in General Note 4, and a bevy of subheadings for India removed from the list of country-product pairs ineligible for GSP because they exceeded Competitive Need Limitations. The new version also ends an exemption for India from Section 201 safeguards on solar cells and washing machines, because India is no longer considered a developing country that qualifies for the exemption. These changes took effect June 5.
CBP will add the ability in ACE for importers to file entries with the fifth group of exclusions from the first tranche of Section 301 tariffs on June 11, it said in a CSMS message. Filers of imported products that were granted an exclusion (see 1906030038) should report the regular Chapter 84, 85 or 90 Harmonized Tariff Schedule number, as well as subheading 9903.88.10, for products subject to Section 301 duties on products from China but that have been granted an exclusion by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. “Importers shall not submit the corresponding Chapter 99 HTS number for the Section 301 duties when HTS 9903.88.10 is submitted,” CBP said.
A domestic steel manufacturer filed petitions on June 6 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duty investigations on collated steel staples from South Korea, China and Taiwan, and new countervailing duties on the same product from China. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD/CVD investigations on collated steel staples that could eventually result in the assessment of AD/CV duties. The petition was filed by Kyocera Senco Industrial Tools, Inc.
Many of the specifics of the new 5 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico that are planned for a June 10 start remain in flux, a CBP official said during a June 6 conference call. When asked about whether there will be a Chapter 99 Harmonized Tariff Schedule code and if the tariffs would apply to everything coming from Mexico, the CBP official declined to answer. "At this point, we're just as much in the dark, with a lot of things that's going on," the official said. "We've been working on this for almost two weeks and things are constantly changing. Anything that I may tell you now may not be the process when it's fully operable. So I don't want to give you any misinformation, and I don't want to lead you to believe it's going to be something when it can change tonight. So therefore I would rather not give you any information because all of it is still up in the air and subjective because nothing has been signed." Assistant Commissioner Brenda Smith also provided an update to industry on June 6. Currently, the only official notices for the tariffs is a series of tweets from President Donald Trump (see 1905300066) and a White House statement.
The International Trade Commission recently issued Revision 6 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Changes include the removal of Turkey from the Generalized System of Preferences program (see 1905170004), including its elimination from the list of GSP countries in General Note 4 and the removal of Turkish goods from the list of country-product pairs ineligible for GSP. The new version also removes Turkey from the lists in U.S. Notes 17 and 18 to Chapter 99 of developing countries exempt from safeguard duties on washing machines and solar cells. These changes took effect May 17. Effective May 20, the tariff schedule is amended to remove additional Section 232 tariffs on steel products from Turkey provided for in U.S. Note 16 to Chapter 99 and in subheading 9903.80.02, so that Turkey is now subject to the 25% tariff applicable to most other countries. Finally, Revision 6 includes changes to reflect the recently announced exemption of Mexico and Canada from Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum (see 1905170044), with modifications to U.S. Note 16 to Chapter 99 and subheadings 9903.80.01 and 9903.85.01 that took effect May 20.