ITC Posts Official "Basic Edition" of Feb 3, 2007 HTS, Etc.
The International Trade Commission has posted the official "basic edition" of the 2007 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which replaces the draft version. This "basic edition" of the 2007 HTS is slated to take effect on February 3, 2007.
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This official 2007 "basic edition" includes (partial list):
WCO changes. The ITC states that this official "basic edition" incorporates amendments (including statistical annotations) arising from Proclamation 8097, which amends the HTS to reflect numerous World Customs Organization (WCO) - recommended changes that take effect on or about February 3, 2007.
(Also included are the updated U.S. - Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Rules of Origin, that have been modified to reflect any applicable WCO-related HTS amendments. Note that other FTA Rules of Origin, such as those for NAFTA (Mexico and Canada), have not yet been updated.)
HTS Chapter 99 changes due to recent Trade Act (but some must still be updated for WCO changes). This official "basic edition" also reflects the HTS Chapter 99 and other HTS provisions in P.L. 109-432 (The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006) that became effective on January 4, 2007.
However, the ITC states that many of these provisions must still be updated to reflect the WCO amendments arising from Proclamation 8097.
GSP and AGOA country changes, etc. This official "basic edition" also reflects Proclamation 8098 which, among other things, designated Liberia as an AGOA beneficiary, East Timor as a GSP beneficiary, and removed Bulgaria and Romania from GSP.
List of all laws, etc. reflected in official version. The ITC also indicates that the preface to this "basic edition" lists all of the laws, proclamations, and other legal instruments reflected therein.
Hard copy version to be issued and mailed to subscribers. The ITC states that the "basic edition" of the 2007 HTS will be printed as a hard copy (paper) version by the Government Printing Office in the near future (and will be mailed to subscribers, along with any subsequent updates).
(See ITT's Online Archives or 01/22/07 and 0/129/07 news, 07012205 and 07012935, respectively, for BP summaries of CBP Q&A on grace period for correcting WCO HTS changes, and CBP's correction to its Q&A.
See ITT's Online Archives or 01/17/07 news, 07011705 for BP summary of blanket Immediate Delivery procedures to take advantage of any WCO HTS changes 'early', for the January 22 - February 2, 2007 period.)
Official February 3, 2007 HTS, etc. available at http://www.usitc.gov/tata/hts/