Washington Trade Daily reports that House Ways and Means Committee Chairman hopes to see action on H.R. 2896, his bill that would repeal the Extraterritorial Income Tax Exclusion (ETI) before the House adjourns for the Easter recess in late March/early April. According to the article, H.R. 2896 would replace ETI with a new tax cut for domestic manufacturers and propose an array of international law changes aimed at making U.S. businesses more competitive abroad. The article notes that Congress is under pressure to repeal ETI in order to end sanctions against certain U.S. goods which the European Union imposed as of March 1, 2004. (WTD dated 03/18/04, www.washingtontradedaily.com.)

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site the reports of 32 Trade Advisory Committees on the proposed U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (Australia FTA).

On March 4, 2004, the Senate passed its version of H.R. 1047, the "Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2003."

CBP has updated its information on its upcoming seminars at nine airports on the advance electronic information requirements for inbound air cargo. CBP has updated its previously issued information in order to:

In the March 10, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 11), CBP issued notices (a) proposing to revoke or modify three classification rulings on textile tool holders, and (b) proposing to revoke two classification rulings regarding certain metal couplings and connectors. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has posted to its Web site a notice detailing its next upcoming informational seminar entitled, Navigating the Regulations, which will be held in Philadelphia, PA on April 21, 2004. The FMC states that this seminar provides an overview of the responsibilities of vessel operators, ocean transportation intermediaries (OTIs) and maritime shipping services users in U.S. foreign trades.

The Commerce Department's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) has issued its Major Shippers Textiles and Apparel Report, which contains selected general import statistics by date of import from the Census Bureau through January 31, 2004 by country and category (including merged and part category).

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has issued a notice announcing that it has received a petition from FedEx Trade Networks Transport & Brokerage, Inc. (FedEx) for an exemption from the tariff publishing and adherence requirements of the Shipping Act of 1984, as amended (Shipping Act) in order to permit it to depart from the provisions of its tariff and enter into confidential service contracts for ocean transportation services with shippers.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has issued a notice stating that at the request of the respondent, Qingdao Wenkem (F.T.Z.) Trading Company Limited (QWTC), it has postponed the final antidumping (AD) duty determination on tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol from China until no later than June 10, 2004.

In the March 10, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 11), CBP issued notices (a) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on plastic identification badges, and (b) proposing to revoke a classification ruling regarding radar apparatus that measures liquid levels. CBP states that it is also proposing to revoke any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.