CBP to Pilot Mobile Revenue Collections Program

CBP will begin a mobile collections and receipt (MCR) pilot program before Jan. 8, 2018, the agency said in a notice. "CBP is working towards the elimination of cash and check payments of maritime taxes and fees by allowing for electronic payments and automating the collection and receipt process," it said. The pilot will help the modernization by testing a "new optional electronic payment method, automating the calculation of fees, and introducing electronic receipts," CBP said. The pilot will involve "tonnage taxes and light money, Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) user fees, Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection (AQI) user fees, and navigation fees," it said.

Participants will be able to submit payments through ACE and Pay.gov "upon or prior to the vessel’s arrival at designated ports of entry," the agency said. Under the pilot, CBP officers won't need to calculate fees, complete related forms or sign off on certain types of payments, allowing more time for the officers to "perform higher priority mission support activities," it said. The new pilot will not affect "the amount of taxes and fees due, the clearance process, or the proof of documentation required to be presented to CBP."

The 18-month pilot will start with four ports of entry: Los Angeles-Long Beach, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Gulfport, Mississippi; and, Mobile, Alabama. "Any commercial vessel agent or other entity responsible for payment of commercial vessel taxes and fees at designated ports of entry may participate in the pilot," it said. No applications are required to participate, though "a commercial vessel agent or other party submitting payment must create an MCR profile and maintain a valid email address as part of the profile" in order to receive email notifications, the agency said.

CBP's regulations require that most maritime taxes and fees be paid by cash or check and "paid to an authorized CBP employee on arrival at a port of entry," CBP said. Because "cash and check collection at the port of entry is a manual, burdensome, and time-consuming process," the "automation and online payment option for certain taxes and fees will reduce the time necessary to accept and process a payment, improve processing and clearance times of vessels, and ensure applicable fees are calculated correctly," the agency said.

Within the pilot, "when a commercial vessel arrives at a designated port of entry, a CBP employee will access the MCR system to determine whether the applicable taxes and fees have been prepaid online for that vessel," CBP said. "If the applicable taxes and fees have not been prepaid online, the vessel agent or other party responsible for payment will have the option to pay all applicable taxes and fees either electronically through the MCR system or at the port of entry with cash or check." CBP officers can also "review, amend, or add data as needed to accurately calculate applicable taxes and fees prior to entering or clearing a vessel."

(Federal Register 12/08/2017)