New Set of Amendments to the Harmonized System Explanatory Notes (Part I)
The World Customs Organization (WCO) has issued an amending supplement (No. 5 dated February 2004) to the Harmonized System Explanatory Notes (ENs). (Although not binding on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the ENs are followed by CBP whenever possible.)
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(This is Part I of a multi-part series of summaries on this amending supplement. See future issues of ITT for additional summaries.)
The following are short summaries of the amendments made to the ENs by this latest amending supplement:
- General Rule 2(a) - Incomplete or Unfinished Articles
Amends paragraph (III) of General Rule 2(a) (Incomplete or unfinished articles) on page 2 to state that: "In the view of the scope of the headings of Sections I to VI, this part of the Rules does not normally apply to goods of these Sections."
Paragraph (III) had previously referenced only Sections I through IV.
- Fish in HS 0302
Amends the first sentence of the paragraph directly below "0302.70 - Livers and roes" on page 26 to state that: "This heading covers, fish, fresh or chilled, whether whole or headless, gutted, or in cuts containing bones or cartilage." Prior to this change, this sentence did not reference cartilage.
- Feldspathic Sands in HS 2505
Amends sentence (3) under HS 2505 on page 212 which concerns "feldspathic sands, used in the ceramic industry" in order to correctly spell the world "feldspathic" (previously spelled "felspathic").
- Iron Oxides, Iron Hydroxides, Etc. in HS 2821
Amends sentence (d) in the list of exclusions to HS 2821 on page 298 so that it now reads: "Alkaline iron oxide for purification of gas (heading 38.25)." This sentence had previously referred to "alkalised iron oxide."
- Certain Mineral or Chemical Fertilisers, Etc. in HS 3105 and Certain Insecticides, Rodenticides, Etc. in HS 3808
With respect to the list of exclusions in HS 3105, amends sentence (b) (spent oxide) on page 585 so that it now refers to heading 38.25. With regard to the list of exclusions in HS 3808, amends sentence (a)(vi) (spent oxide) on page 683 so that it also cites heading 38.25. Previously, sentences (b) and (a)(vi) had cited heading 38.24, instead of heading 38.25.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 04/15/04 news, 04041540, for BP summary of the last part of BP's summary of the August 2003 amendments to the ENs.)
Information about the Harmonized System is available on the WCO Web site at http://www.wcoomd.org/ie/En/Topics_Issues/topics_issues.html
EN amendments available at http://www.wcoomd.org/ie/En/Topics_Issues/HarmonizedSystem/Enhs33en.pdf