U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said that the trade facilitation agreement that the U.S. and Brazil signed Oct. 19 is very similar to the USMCA trade facilitation chapter, and that traders should expect more incremental progress in coming months. “There’s a lot more that needs to be done,” Lighthizer said during a U.S. Chamber of Commerce program Oct. 20. “We have ongoing negotiations on ethanol. Brazilians like to talk about sugar. There’s a variety of things in the agriculture area.”
Brazil's president, Jair Bolsonaro, told a business audience that his country and the U.S. have completed a trade facilitation agreement, an agreement on best regulatory practices, and an anti-corruption agreement. He said these treaties would “slash red tape and bring about even more growth to our bilateral trade with beneficial effects to the flow of investments as well.”
There is some industry concern that a proposal to end the de minimis exemption to Section 301 goods isn't considered “economically significant,” an executive following the issue said. CBP submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a proposed rule titled “Excepting Merchandise Subject to Section 301 Duties from the Customs De Minimis Exemption,” according to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website (see 2009040026).
A bill that instructs CBP to use manifest data to enhance targeting of de minimis shipments -- with a particular focus on China -- passed the House of Representatives Sept. 29. The Consumer Product Safety Inspection Enhancement Act says that CBP would need to start the enhanced screening of consumer products within 18 months of the law's signing. The bill says that CBP should use the participating government agencies message set, property rights seizure data, and certificates of compliance to do risk assessments for products that could violate consumer product safety standards.
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CBP is developing a “hybrid” process for low-value shipments based on the lessons from the low-value shipment data and Entry Type 86 pilots, Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and conveyance security and controls, said during a CBP Virtual Trade Week session Sept. 10. “We are looking at what a hybrid is going to look like,” he said. “What kind of process can collect this additional information from the party who owns it, get it in an early enough time for safety and security and enforcement perspective?” he said.
CBP is unable to say much about a proposal to eliminate the de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs, said Brandon Lord, CBP Office of Trade deputy executive director for trade policy and programs. Lord mentioned the proposal during a CBP Virtual Trade Week session Sept. 10. “Assuming that [the Office of Management and Budget] approves the proposed rule,” it will be eventually published in the Federal Register and opened for public comments, he said. He said the proposal was recently picked up by the “trade industry press” (see 2009040026), and that “it's difficult for us to make a lot of comments on this,” due to “restrictions around the rulemaking process.”
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CBP is apparently working on a regulatory change that would eliminate the $800 de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. The agency on Sept. 2 submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a proposed rule titled, “Excepting Merchandise Subject to Section 301 Duties from the Customs De Minimis Exemption,” according to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website. OMB’s reviews are the final step before publication of a rule, and include an interagency review. CBP did not immediately comment.
CBP is apparently working on a regulatory change that would eliminate the $800 de minimis exemption for goods subject to Section 301 tariffs. The agency on Sept. 2 submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a proposed rule titled “Excepting Merchandise Subject to Section 301 Duties from the Customs De Minimis Exemption,” according to OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs website.