The Census Bureau has posted to its Web site a list of 179 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) numbers that are invalid for use in reporting exports (either via the Automated Export System (AES) or on a paper Shipper's Export Declaration (SED)) as of May 1, 2008.
The Census Bureau has issued an Automated Export System broadcast announcing that, effective immediately, the following seven Harmonized Tariff Schedule numbers have been added to the AES Import Concordance1 and may be used to report export commodities:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of April 14, 2008. This report includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, tobacco, certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly TRQ/TPL commodity report, dated 04/14/08, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/.)
Proclamation 8228 recently amended the Harmonized Tariff Schedule to, among other things, restore certain duty rates that were inadvertently increased by the World Customs Organization (WCO)-recommended changes to the HTS that took effect on February 3, 2007, as follows:
China Daily reports that on April 7, 2008 China and New Zealand signed a free trade agreement, marking the first full trade agreement China has concluded with a developing economy. When the deal goes into effect, New Zealand's exports to China that now face tariffs of 5 percent or less will be cut to zero, and exports that face larger tariffs will be cut on a staggered timeframe, with almost all of the country's exports to be tariff free by 2019. (China Daily, dated 04/07/08, available at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-04/07/content_6596491.htm)
The Government Accountability Office has issued its report to Congressional requesters on port-related user fees, including the Harbor Maintenance Fee, the Merchandise Processing Fee, and the customs, immigration, and agricultural quarantine inspection (AQI) user fees.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued an ABI CSMS message announcing that the problem involving requests for prior notice (PN) confirmation numbers for Food and Drug Administration (FDA)/Bioterrorism Act (BTA) shipments has been resolved.
The Port of Los Angeles has posted an announcement to its Web site stating that the LA Board of Harbor Commissioners will vote on the proposed Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program at a special Board meeting on March 20, 2008. (LA Web site available at http://www.portoflosangeles.org/)