On September 7, 2004, the President signed Proclamation 7808 in order to make various changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) with respect to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), etc.
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.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the Reconciliation Prototype has been expanded to allow post-entry importation claims arising under the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (UCFTA). (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/03/04 news, 04090305, for BP summary of this expansion.) (CBP notice, dated 09/03/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/cargo_summary/reconciliation/benefits_recon_chile.ctt/benefits_recon_chile.doc)
On September 7, 2004, the President signed Proclamation 7808 in order to make various changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) with respect to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), etc.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments on a list of goods whose duties may be increased in the event the U.S. cannot reach agreement with the European Union (EU) for adequate compensation owed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules as a result of EU enlargement and EU changes to its rice import regime.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing the opening of the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on fibers of cotton as provided for in HTS Chapter 52, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 10 for the period September 11, 2004 through September 10, 2005.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release announcing that the U.S. and Poland have signed an agreement, the Immigration Advisory Program (IAP), which is designed to substantially reduce the number of Polish citizens arriving via direct flights from Warsaw who are denied entry at U.S. airports because of invalid or expired visas or other defective entry documents. (CBP press release, dated 09/08/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/09082004.xml)
The International Trade Commission (ITC) has released a report entitled the U.S.-Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement: Potential Economywide and Selected Sectoral Effects.
In the September 1, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 36), CBP issued a notice proposing to revoke a classification ruling on an air blow gun kit. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in this notice.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site its "critical list" of textiles and apparel subject to import quotas with entered quantities 85% or more filled as of August 31, 2004. CBP states that this "critical list" may be used by CBP as a reference for releasing quota merchandise "off line" when the Automated Commercial System (ACS) is down for longer than four hours. CBP notes that textile and apparel merchandise for Electronic Visa Information System (ELVIS) countries cannot be released "off line" until it is processed through quota. CBP further notes that if the system is down for more than 24 hours, Headquarters Quota Branch should be contacted for further instructions. CBP also states that merchandise subject to tariff-rate quotas (TRQs), which are filled, may be released if entered under the "over quota" (high) rate of duty. (CBP's critical list, dated 08/31/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/textile_critical_list/)
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice stating that the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Implementation Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is requesting written public comments by noon on September 17, 2004 for the annual review of the eligibility of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries to receive the benefits of the AGOA.