CBP outlined the agency's plans for refunding duties on entries eligible for Generalized System of Preferences treatment collected during the program's lapse. The agency answered some Frequently Asked Questions (here) and provided detailed information on the refund process (here). While some information on the GSP refund processing was previously released (see 1507200020), the agency hadn't released official guidance on the GSP renewal. The GSP reauthorization allows for retroactive benefits to be applied to eligible goods entered after July 31, 2013 through July 28.
Tim Warren
Timothy Warren is Executive Managing Editor of Communications Daily. He previously led the International Trade Today editorial team from the time it was purchased by Warren Communications News in 2012 through the launch of Export Compliance Daily and Trade Law Daily. Tim is a 2005 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts and lives in Maryland with his wife and three kids.
CBP will require that importers provide enough information to prove eligibility of some retroactive Generalized System of Preference (GSP) claims, said an agency spokeswoman. President Obama signed a renewal of GSP last month (see 1506290045) and the agency is in the process of developing a guidance for the industry (see 1507100012). "CBP is working on information and guidance to the importing community, which will be issued in the near future regarding the recent renewal of the GSP program by Congress," she said.
The Federal Maritime Commission released another agency report on port congestion issues after the agency voted to make the report public in June, said the FMC in a news release (here). The report (here) is focused on "U.S. Port Congestion & Related International Supply Chain Issues: Causes, Consequences & Challenges." The report is the agency's second based on congestion forums held by each of the Commissioners at major ports last year. The first FMC report, released in April (see 1504140014), was on detention, demurrage and free time.
CBP will automatically process refunds for Generalized System of Preference claims that were submitted after the program expired in 2013 (see 13080110), said Dan Anthony, executive director of the Coalition for GSP in a July 10 interview. Refund requests for entries that did not claim GSP eligibility during the lapse are due by Dec. 28 and will be processed as they are received, he said. Signed into law on June 29 (see 1506290045), the program is set to restart on July 29. CBP plans to issue formal guidance on GSP refund processing, so the details could still change, he said.
CBP will test several new features for Remote Location Filing as part of the agency's move toward required use of the Automated Commercial Environment electronic filing, CBP said in a notice (here). CBP will use the pilot to consider the reliability and viability of making more entry types eligible for RLF, it said. RLF allows for national permit holders to file an entry electronically away from where the goods are being entered.
CBP will begin a test of air cargo manifest filing for exports within the Automated Commercial Environment, the agency said in a notice (here). The voluntary test will require participants to submit export data electronically at least four hours before loading, the agency said. Currently, the complete manifest is required on paper CBP Form 7509 after departure, said CBP. The pilot will begin on Aug. 10 and is scheduled to last for two years, said CBP.
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) for CBP will next meet July 29 in Rosemont, Illinois, CBP said in a notice (here).
Faced with conflicting lab testing, CBP deferred to its own testing of water resistance in two types of men's jackets, the agency said in a further review of protest ruling (here). The undisclosed importer challenged CBP on the agency's test of sample goods in 2010 that found the jackets failed to show water resistance. CBP ruled that the company was unable to show CBP's testing was faulty in ruling HQ H194735.
The World Customs Organization created a new guide to help in customs valuation and transfer pricing issues, said the WCO in a press release (here). The guide is meant to aid in interactions between customs and tax regimes when dealing with international transactions within a multi-national group (MNE), said the WCO. Customs operations' "aim is to ensure that the price for transactions of imported goods is not influenced by the relationship between buyer and seller," whereas tax agencies "look at the same transactions to ensure the conditions are consistent with the 'arm’s length principle' for profit tax purposes," said the WCO.
CBP San Francisco will hold a seminar on "Steel Identification, Classification and Trade Law" on July 29-30, it said in an information notice. The seminar, which will include presentations from technical, commercial and legal experts from the industry, is meant to "increase the knowledge level" on steel imports for CBP officials, the trade and customs brokers, it said. The seminar will be at the Port of San Francisco, 555 Battery St., San Francisco.