The World Customs Organization recently announced that the final 2022 edition of the Harmonized System tariff nomenclature is now available on its website. The new edition, which replaces the 2017 version, will take effect Jan. 1, though WCO HS Convention members must implement the changes in their own tariff schedules.
The European Union imposed a definitive antidumping duty on imports of birch plywood from Russia, the European Commission said Nov. 9. The commission kicked off the investigation in October 2020 following a complaint from the Woodstock Consortium, which led to provisional measures taking effect in June 2021. The Nov. 9 update locks in those provisional measures. The duties cover "imports of plywood consisting solely of sheets of wood, each ply not exceeding 6 mm thickness, with outer plies of wood specified under subheading 4412 33, with at least one outer ply of birch wood, whether or not coated," from Russia.
The Bureau of Industry and Security on Oct. 28 updated its guidance on the Foreign-Produced Direct Product Rule to further clarify situations when goods are subject to the FDP rule and require a license. The guidance, which includes a set of frequently asked questions (see 2012210044), now includes new FAQ No. 4 under the "supply chain" subheading, which starts on page four and continues onto page five, a BIS spokesperson said.
The World Trade Organization’s moratorium on customs duties on data transfers (see 1912100047) is being threatened by India, South Africa and Indonesia, which want to impose the duties to “recoup perceived lost revenue,” the Computer and Communications Industry Association said Oct. 26. CCIA said the moratorium has been “key to the development of global digital trade” and urged the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to push for a permanent extension at the WTO.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing a proposal to the World Customs Organization to create specific harmonized system subheadings for fresh, frozen and dried blueberries, the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service said in an October report. The agency said it is pursuing this proposal because blueberries are grouped in HS-6 codes with other fruits of the genus Vaccinium, which makes it “challenging” to track blueberry trade. The agency hopes the proposal will “provide clarity on trade (and thus production) and achieve a more precise understanding of how large the market is and where trade (and thus production) is happening.” If the proposal is approved, USDA said changes likely won’t be implemented for “several years.”
The World Trade Organization released a new online tool for tracking changes to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) -- the system used to classify traded goods, the WTO said. The HS Tracker was developed with the World Customs Organization and is meant to aid customs officials and traders in preparing for HS amendments set to take effect Jan. 1, 2022.
The Census Bureau Sept. 21 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 643 is a fatal error for when the reported Schedule B/Harmonized Tariff Schedule Number requires a second quantity to be reported, and that quantity is missing or reported as zero, Census said. The filer should verify the reported quantity, correct the shipment and resubmit.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, in a readout of an Aug. 25 call with Turkey's Trade Minister Mehmet Mus, said that she argued that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's discussions on international taxation are the best way to resolve the issues that led countries to want to impose digital services taxes. The USTR has said that 32 subheadings of Turkish imports could face tariffs if Turkey imposes a DST. The value of goods on the list imported in 2019 was $310 million.
A proposal to use a carbon border adjustment tax as a pay-for in legislation Congress hopes to pass this fall faces many obstacles, both political and technical. Politically, it must get support from all 50 Democrats in the Senate, including Sen. Joe Manchin, whose home state of West Virginia exports about a third of its coal; in some recent years, coal was about half of all exports from the state.
The Census Bureau Aug. 18 emailed tips on how to address the most frequent messages generated this month in the Automated Export System. Response code 166 is a fatal error for when the mode of transportation is reported as “vessel” and the transportation reference number is missing. The filer should verify the transportation reference number, correct the shipment and resubmit.