On December 20, 2004, President Bush issued Proclamation 7857 in order to implement the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (UAFTA). (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/23/04 news, 04122305, for BP summary announcing the issuance of Proclamation 7857.)
Customs duty
A customs duty is a tariff or tax which a country imposes on goods when they are transported across international borders. Customs Duties are used to protect countries' economies, residents, jobs, and environments, by limiting the flow of imported merchandise, especially restricted and prohibited goods, into the country. The Customs duty rate is a percentage determined by the value of the article purchased in the foreign country and not based on quality, size, or weight. U.S. customs duties are listed in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) notice and CBP sources, the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) filing of entries for goods eligible for U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (UAFTA) duty benefits is not available at this time due to ongoing system programming for the UAFTA.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced the 2005 tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for agricultural products described in HTS Chapter 99, Subchapter XIII, U.S. Notes 3 through 20 with respect to the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (UAFTA).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice that designates three areas in Egypt as qualifying industrial zones (QIZs) under Section 9 of the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area Implementation Act (IFTA).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued three separate ABI administrative messages announcing that the Automated Commercial System (ACS) has completed the system changes to require the trade to electronically transmit the following in the entry summary miscellaneous permit/license field (52 record, positions 30-38) effective with the duty computation date of February 1, 2005:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued separate notices on the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement's (UCFTA, or CFTA) 2005 Tariff Preference Levels (TPLs) for imports from Chile of certain cotton and man-made fiber (MMF) apparel goods and certain cotton/MMF fabric goods, as described below.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice regarding the cancellation of visa, Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) transmissions, Guaranteed Access Level (GAL) certifications, and exempt certifications for textile goods exported on and after January 1, 2005 from 44 World Trade Organization (WTO) members listed in CBP's notice. (See ITT's Online Archives or 12/22/04 news, 04122215, for BP summary of CITA's notice announcing this cancellation.)
President Approves Continued AGOA Eligibility for 36 Countries, Adds Burkina Faso, Drops Ivory Coast
The White House has issued a press release stating that on December 21, 2004, President Bush approved the continued designation of the following 36 countries as eligible for tariff preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA):
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message stating that the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 (Public Law (P.L.) 108-429) created a wool license requirement for new tariff numbers HTS 9902.51.15 and 9902.51.16.
On December 3, 2004, President Bush signed into law the conference version of H.R. 1047, the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 (Public Law (P.L.) 108-429).