CBP said it created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1704 on June 28, containing 2,564 Automated Broker Interface records and 463 harmonized tariff records (here). CBP also said it is expecting a now unsigned presidential proclamation with changes to the Generalized System of Preferences to take effect July 1, but "we are unable to make the necessary modifications until the proclamation is official." The proclamation is unsigned "due to recent differences between the draft documentation and the final legislation," CBP said. The agency will update the system once the proclamation becomes official, it said. The White House issued a proclamation (here) after CBP sent out the CSMS message.
Latest Harmonized System updates
The World Customs Organization issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Trade groups are eyeing the miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) set to be considered in November as a possible vehicle for renewal of the Generalized System of Preferences program, industry executives said in recent interviews. “We’re thinking that those two will be packaged together to move, and so we’re hoping that’ll give additional impetus” to Congress for renewing GSP before the program expires Dec. 31, said American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) Senior Vice President for Supply Chain Nate Herman. AAFA and other stakeholders are feeling an increased urgency to push for renewal after Congress let GSP benefits lapse between 2013 and 2015 before passing trade preferences legislation to re-enact the program (see 1605160032), Herman said.
More commenters on NAFTA renegotiations pushed for the U.S. to protect development of ACE and a North American single-window system in any updated agreement. The American Association of Exporters and Importers said in comments to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (here) that NAFTA should allow electronic signatures for the certification process in all three parties. The signature should be generated by software identifying and authenticating the signer and confirming the signer’s approval, AAEI said. “Acceptance of this type of electronic signature is distinct from NAFTA’s current and outdated practice of requiring certificates that are either hand-signed or that include an electronically reproduced image of an original handwritten signature.”
The World Customs Organization updated its guide released earlier this year for updating preferential rules of origin (see 1701190008) to include annexes on the impacts of Harmonized System amendments and a presentation, the WCO said (here). The WCO issued the guide (here) after the 2017 changes to the Harmonized System tariff schedule adopted by WCO members, including the U.S. The updated guide now includes "Annexes I – B to III – B (impact of HS Amendments on rules of origin) and Appendix (presentation)," the WCO said. The International Trade Commission posted in January the Preliminary Edition of the 2017 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which implements the WCO tariff changes in the U.S. and largely took effect at the beginning of 2017 (see 1701090071).
Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., introduced a bill on May 25 that would qualify footwear classified in over 20 Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) subheadings in Chapter 64 for Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) treatment for the first time in the program’s more than 40-year history. The legislation, H.R. 2735, would also require the executive branch to conduct six annual studies of the state of the U.S. footwear industry, focusing on yearly changes to categories of domestic footwear. The bill would require the International Trade Commission to inform that report by examining current production of "like or directly competitive articles" and to identify any articles for which domestic production is likely to occur within the next year at a commercial level.
The Agricultural Marketing Service is amending its regulations on the beef promotion and research order to increase fee assessments on importers of veal and veal products, and to update the table of Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) numbers subject to importer assessments, it said (here). The final rule takes effect June 29.
The International Chamber of Commerce would like to see global "cohesion" for rules of origin for Preferential Trade Agreements (PTA) and offered eight recommendations for governments to help align such rules, the ICC said in a news release (here). With now more than 400 PTAs, "diverging rules of origin regulations and procedures are becoming a trade barrier along the whole supply chain," the ICC said in its recommendations (here). Also, many PTAs overlap geographically, creating "confusing and inconsistent market entry arrangements, which are particularly felt by small and medium sized enterprises," it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for April 24-28 in case they were missed.
CBP said it created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1703 on April 24, containing 2,512 Automated Broker Interface records and 395 harmonized tariff records (here). Modifications include "agency requested PGA indicator changes made to support the PGA message set functionality," CBP said. The modified records can be retrieved electronically via the procedures indicated in the CATAIR. Further information: Jennifer Keeling, Jennifer.L.Keeling@cbp.dhs.gov