The Office of the U.S Trade Representative plans to issue some new product exclusions from Section 301 tariffs on the third list of products from China (see 2003230001), it said in a notice. The product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 24, 2018, the date the tariffs on the third list took effect, and will remain in effect until Aug. 7, 2020. New subheading 9903.88.43 will be used for these excluded products.
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.
Much about CBP's efforts to temporarily relieve financial pressure on importers through customs duty payment deferrals remains unclear, though is likely to be widely appreciated by industry, industry lawyers said. CBP announced plans to consider duty payment extensions on a case-by-case basis and it is said to be considering broader measures (see 2003200038). The broader duty deferrals, which could be detailed in an executive order or the Federal Register, are seen as similar to the tax filing deadline extension recently announced by the Internal Revenue Service.
CBP is looking at allowing extensions for duty payments in light of the ongoing response activities related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in a March 19 email, following an industry update call with CBP. The NCBFAA and other industry members recently suggested in a letter that CBP consider such extensions, it said. “CBP understands the major impact this could have and is currently researching to see if the plan is feasible,” the NCBFAA said. “In the meantime, CBP is considering case-by-case deferrals.“
The country of origin of sticky notes made from big rolls of paper that are cut in Taiwan is based on the origin of the rolls of paper, CBP said in a Feb. 18 ruling. The cutting of the paper and adding of glue is not considered to be a substantial transformation, the agency said. Staples requested its ruling through David Newman, a lawyer representing the company.
The Port of Houston Authority stopped operations at Bayport and Barbours Cut Shipping Terminals after it learned that one person who worked at both terminals tested positive for COVID-19, the port authority said in a news release. It now plans to reopen late on March 19 for both container terminals, it said. “Port Houston has conducted a joint investigation with the [International Longshoremen's Association] which indicated that [the worker's] exposure to others was fairly limited. Following CDC guidelines, all those that he has been in direct contact with during the 2 days worked at Port Houston facilities are in self-quarantine. Additionally, those who maintained social distancing from the worker, and have low risk, have been advised.”
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for March 9-13 in case they were missed.
Commercial operations and trade flows across the eight Texas ports under the Laredo Field Office remain normal despite the COVID-19 epidemic, a CBP official said during a March 17 call with industry. The hours of operation at the ports haven't changed and cargo operations remain fully staffed for most import and export processing, said Armando Taboada, who oversees trade operations at the field office. CBP has no plans close any of the locations, he said.
CBP added on March 16 the ability in ACE for importers to file entries with recently excluded goods in the fourth tranche and third tranche of Section 301 tariffs, it said in a CSMS messages. The exclusions from the fourth group cover various medical supplies, while the tranche three exclusions include other products (see 2003130010). The fourth tranche product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 1, 2019, and will remain in effect until Sept. 1, 2020. The third tranche exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 24, 2018, and will remain in effect until Aug. 7, 2020.
The Office of U.S. Trade Representative announced two more rounds of 301 tariff exclusions (see 2003130004). One set of exclusions covers medical supplies that were included in the fourth tranche of tariffs. The other set of exclusions apply to goods on the third tranche of tariffs.
CBP added on March 12 the ability in ACE for importers to file entries with recently excluded goods in the third tranche of Section 301 tariffs, it said in a CSMS message. The official Office of the U.S. Trade Representative notice for the exclusions was published on Feb. 20 (see 2002190015). The exclusions are in subheading 9903.88.40. The exclusions are available for any product that meets the description in the Annex to USTR’s notice, regardless of whether the importer filed an exclusion request. The product exclusions apply retroactively to Sept. 24, 2018, and will expire after Aug. 7, 2020. The CSMS message also includes a summary of Section 301 duties that shows information on each tranche of tariffs and granted product exclusions.