ITC Issues Revision 12 to Tariff Schedule; Changes Implement New List 4 China Tariffs

The International Trade Commission recently released Revision 12 to the 2019 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. Changes in the latest version relate entirely to the imposition of 15 percent Section 301 tariffs on products from China, effective Sept. 1. New U.S. Note 20(r) and U.S. Note 20(s) are added to subchapter III of chapter 99 describing the applicable tariff treatment and HTS subheadings covered by the new tariffs, respectively. New subheading 9903.88.15 is added for goods subject to the new List 4 tariffs.

Unlike previous editions of the tariff schedule, Revision 12 also includes a new “China Tariffs” section that lists all subheadings to which the 15 percent tariff under 9903.88.15 applies. The ITC is adding the table because it was “unable to cross-reference the Chapter 99 updates with other HTS chapters, as it has done in the past,” it said on its website. That’s “because of the short time between the announcement of the products affected and the effective date of the tariffs,” the ITC said.

“HTS users should use the ‘China Tariffs’ link rather than searching other HTS chapters to locate affected products. The list at this link is searchable by HTS number,” the ITC said. “This table is provided for reference only; users should also consult the HTS itself and the related Federal Register notice of August 20, 2019 (84 FR 43304) and Federal Register notice of August 30, 2019 (84 FR 45821) for the official list of covered products,” it said.