CBP Reports Slight Decrease in Duty Collections, Rise in Cargo Containers

CBP collected about $34.8 billion in customs duties during fiscal year 2017, the agency said in its trade and travel report for FY 2017. That's a decrease from the $35.2 billion the agency collected in duties during FY 2016. Still, CBP collections in total duties, taxes and other fees during the year were pretty much flat -- about $40.1 billion -- when compared with the previous year. The agency also saw about a five percent increase in cargo containers from FY16, it said. "CBP processed $2.39 trillion in imports in FY2017, equating to 33.2 million entries and more than 28.5 million imported cargo containers at U.S. ports of entry," the agency said.

CBP detained 26 shipments worth $1.6 million under four Withhold Release Orders issued in FY16 over suspicions of forced labor use, it said. The agency also underwent an "active communications effort" to "ensure importers are aware of the risks associated with forced labor, what their compliance responsibilities are, and how they can validate that their supply chains are free of forced labor." CBP is also "now outlining substantive changes to allow for an agile enforcement response" following some technical changes to the agency's regulations on the use of forced labor (see 1706070008).

The agency also increased its focus on e-commerce in FY17. "That has been a tectonic shift, not just in the everyday lives of American consumers but also for CBP," said Acting Commissioner Kevin McAleenan during a speech about the report. "Driven by E-commerce, air cargo volumes are way up, with global air freight traffic climbing by nearly eight percent year-over-year in November, the start of the peak shipping season. Express cargo shipments in general, meanwhile, have increased by a massive 15 percent over last year -- from 96 million bills to 110 million in fiscal year 2017. And mail parcels growing even faster. We are working hard to keep pace," he said, according to published remarks.

ACE contributed to some major efficiency gains for industry and the agency, CBP said. "Streamlined processes in ACE have enabled processing efficiencies valued at an estimated $28 million for CBP and an estimated $52 million for industry in FY2017," it said. CBP also reported an 8 percent increase in intellectual property rights seizures. The agency made 34,143 IPR seizures in FY17 on products that would be worth more than $1.2 billion if real, it said. CBP also noted the Commercial Truck User Fee program and Unified Cargo Processing is helping to make trade more "frictionless."