U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an interim rule, effective March 7, 2005, which amends 19 CFR Parts 10, 24, 162, 163, 178, and 191 for the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (US-CFTA).
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 issued an interim rule, effective March 7, 2005, which amends 19 CFR Parts 10, 24, 162, 163, 178, and 191 for the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (US-CFTA).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on February 28, 2005, the U.S. reached an agreement with the European Union (EU) ensuring market access for U.S. brown (husked) rice exports to the EU.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice announcing the 2004/2005 quantity of apparel imported from Mauritius, made from any fabric/yarn, that is eligible to receive duty-free treatment1 under the AGOA pursuant to HTS 9819.11.12.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice stating that on January 13, 2005 it received a request from the European Communities (EC) for the establishment of a World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement panel (DSP) regarding the U.S.' continued suspension of obligations to the EC in the dispute over the EC's measures concerning beef produced with growth hormones.
In the February 9 and 16, 2005 issues of the U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionBulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 39, No. 7 and 8), CBP issued notices: (a) detailing the dates and draft agenda for the 35th Session of the Harmonized System Committee (HSC), and (b) modifying two classification rulings on prepared slides. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in the notice on prepared slides.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued an administrative message stating that the Automated Commercial System (ACS) has been modified to accept U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (UAFTA) claims through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI) system, effective February 9, 2005.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice regarding certain amendments made by the Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 (MTA) to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), the U.S.-Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act (CBTPA), the Trade Act of 2002, and the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III) which allow eligible entries to receive retroactive AGOA or CBTPA duty-free1 benefits if requests for liquidation or reliquidation are made at the port of entry by close of business on March 3, 2005.
The Washington File has reported that U.S. researchers are developing materials that could make consumers less susceptible to product tampering or failures. According to the Washington File, the technology could be applied in tamper-resistant food and medicine packaging as well as early internal failure indicators in machinery and anti-counterfeiting elements. (Washington File Pub 02/02/05, available at http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2005&m=February&x=20050202140627lcnirellep0.8408014&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a press release announcing that on January 31, 2005 it reinstated testing of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) and its commercial truck processing capabilities at the port of Blaine, WA. CBP states that preparations for ACE transitions at additional ports are progressing, and schedules and the port locations will be announced at a later date. (See ITT's Online Archives or 01/31/05 news, 05013100, for BP summary of CBP's plan to resume this pilot.) (CBP press release, dated 01/31/05, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/02012005_2.xml)