USTR Issues GSP Guidebook, List of All GSP-Eligible Products, Etc.
The Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site a 33-page document entitled "U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Guidebook", which is dated November 2005.
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The USTR has also posted to its Web site a 100-page list of products eligible for GSP treatment from all GSP beneficiary developing countries, and a 27-page list of products that are only GSP eligible from least developed beneficiary developing countries (LDBDCs).
November 2005 GSP Guidebook
The USTR's Guidebook explains that the GSP program, which was instituted on January 1, 1976, provides preferential duty-free treatment for 3,400 products from nearly 140 designated beneficiary countries and territories. In addition, USTR states that the GSP program was most recently renewed in 2002, and its authorization will expire on December 31, 2006 unless extended by legislation.1
The GSP Guidebook is divided into a number of sections, including (partial list):
Frequently Asked Questions
which imports qualify for GSP?
how are GSP articles identified in the HTS?
how are certain products removed from GSP eligibility?
how does an importer request GSP treatment?
what are competitive need limitations (CNLS), and how are they waived, etc.?
can imported materials be counted toward the 35% value-added requirement?
what may be included in the direct costs of processing?
etc.
CNL waivers from 1989 to date.According to USTR sources, the Guidebook lists the 85 country/product combinations that have been granted CNL waivers (of either the value or percent limit) since 1989 by tariff number, country, and brief article description.
1995 Articles Exempt from CNLs. According to the Guidebook, 19 USC exempts from the CNLs certain articles if like or directly competitive articles were not produced in the U.S. on January 1, 1995. The 131 8-digit tariff numbers for such articles are listed in the Guidebook, and span HTS Chapters 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12,13, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 32, 33, 38, 39, 42, 46, 48, 53, 57, 58, 59, 63, 64, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 76, 84, 85, 87, 91, 92, 94, 95, and 96.)
(Also included in the Guidebook is a list of GSP-eligible beneficiaries, the mandatory and discretionary criteria for country eligibility under GSP, information on submitting a GSP petition, etc.)
List of Products Eligible for GSP Treatment from Any Beneficiary Country
The USTR has also posted a list of products eligible for GSP treatment from any GSP beneficiary country. This list is dated September 2005 and lists the 8-digit tariff number, a brief product description, and the 2005 NTR (Normal Trade Relations) general duty rate. This list is 100 pages in length and does not include those products which are only GSP-eligible if they are from LDBDCs.
List of Products Eligible for GSP Treatment from LDBDCs Only
A list of products that are eligible for GSP treatment from LDBDCs (such products are noted by the symbol A) is also posted. This list is 27 pages in length and lists the 8-digit tariff number, a brief product description, the 2005 NTR general duty rate, and the indicator A for each.
Other GSP Documents Also Posted to USTR's Web Site
Also posted to the USTR's Web site is i) legislation authorizing the U.S. GSP Program, ii) USTR regulations pertaining to eligibility of articles and countries for the GSP program, iii) GSP Federal Register notices, iv) contact information for GSP, and the v) interim 2005 import statistics relating to CNLs.
1Subscribers should note that only the "standard" GSP program (i.e, A, A*, and A) for GSP counties other than those listed as African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary countries is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2006.
For AGOA beneficiary countries, both the standard GSP program (i.e., A, A*, and A) and the AGOA-GSP program (i.e., D) are scheduled to expire on September 30, 2015.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 07/14/04 news, 04071405, for BP summary of the enactment of AGOA III, which set this September 30, 2015 expiration date. See ITT's Online Archives or 08/09/02 news, 02080910, for BP summary of the retroactive reinstatement of the standard GSP program for non-AGOA beneficiary countries through December 31, 2006.)
GSP information center (202) 395-6971
November 2005 GSP Guidebook, List of GSP eligible products, etc., available at
http://www.ustr.gov/Trade_Development/Preference_Programs/GSP/Section_Index.html.