U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a summary of changes to the Automated Export System (AES) Trade Interface Requirements (AESTIR) on its Web site, indicating that Version 1.0 was changed on April 12, 2006 and April 24, 2006 as follows:
Customs Duty
A Customs Duty is a tariff or tax which a country imposes on goods when they are transported across international borders. Customs Duties are used to protect countries' economies, residents, jobs, and environments, by limiting the flow of imported merchandise, especially restricted and prohibited goods, into the country. The Customs Duty Rate is a percentage determined by the value of the article purchased in the foreign country and not based on quality, size, or weight.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its web site inviting importers, brokers and truck carriers to the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) Exchange Conference on August 15-17, 2006 in Chicago, Illinois.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted four recently reviewed Informed Compliance Publications (ICPs), with April 2006 updates, to its Web site.
CBP has issued an ABI administrative message announcing that its most recent changes to the 20006 Harmonized Tariff Schedule records, Harmonized System (HS) Update (No. 0602) contains changes with respect to:
The Washington Post reports that President Bush's move to nominate current U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rob Portman as the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has been widely viewed as indicating that the Bush Administration holds little hope for secure a far-reaching deal in the Doha round of trade talks in 2006 and possibly for much longer than that. (WP dated 04/19/06, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/18/AR2006041801488.html.)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted guidance on the Israel and Jordan free trade agreements (FTAs) and the U.S.-Israel FTA Qualified Industrial Zone (QIZ) programs with Jordan and Egypt that it provides to field Import Specialists.
(This BP summary is being reissued in order to correct the second listing of countries. The online version of the original BP summary 06041910 is similarly corrected.)
In the April 12, 2006 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBPBulletin) (Vol. 40, No. 16), CBP issued notices: (a) proposing to revoke a classification ruling on a certain base metal medallion, and (b) revoking two classification rulings on a radiotelephony base station cabinet and a noise-limiting hood.
(This BP summary has been corrected for the second listing of countries.)
American Shipper reports that Ford Motor Company is off the hook for more than $5 million in duties and penalties after the Court of International Trade (CIT) ruled that the statute of limitations for paying the fine had expired, a decision that international trade lawyers familiar with the case stated could have implications for hundreds of other importers. (See ITT's Online Archives or 03/13/06, 06031325 for BP summary of CIT decision)(American Shipper, March 2006)