USTR Announces 2008 Annual GSP Review
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has announced the opportunity to submit petitions for the 2008 Generalized System of Preferences Product and Country Eligibility Practices Review (2008 Annual GSP Review).
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According to the USTR, the deadline for submission of product petitions (other than those requesting competitive needs limitation (CNL) waivers) and country practice petitions for the 2008 Annual GSP Review is 5 p.m., June 18, 2008.
The deadline for submission of product petitions requesting CNL waivers is 5 p.m., November 13, 2008. (This later date allows petitioners an opportunity to review additional 2008 U.S. import statistics.)
Petitions May be Submitted for Additional GSP Benefits, CNL Waivers, Etc.
The USTR states that interested parties, including foreign governments may submit petitions to:
- Designate additional articles as eligible for GSP benefits, including to designate articles as eligible for GSP benefits only for countries designated as least-developed beneficiary developing countries, or only for countries designated as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA);
- Withdraw, suspend, or limit the application of duty-free treatment accorded under the GSP with respect to any article, either for all beneficiary developing countries, least-developed beneficiary developing countries, or beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, or for any of these countries individually;
- Waive the CNLs for individual beneficiary developing countries with respect to specific GSP-eligible articles (these limits do not apply to either least-developed beneficiary developing countries or AGOA beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries); and
- Otherwise modify GSP coverage.
The USTR states that interested parties may also submit petitions to review the designation of any beneficiary developing country, including any least-developed beneficiary developing country, with respect to any of the designation criteria listed in 19 USC 2462(b) and (c) (petitions to review the designation of beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries are considered in the Annual Review of the AGOA, a separate administrative process not governed by GSP regulations).
(See ITT's Online Archives or 03/10/08 and 03/17/08 news, 08031005, and 08031705, for BP summary and reminder on the country/tariff number pairs that may lose/gain GSP on July 1, 2008 due to CNLs (as part of the 2007 GSP review).
See ITT's Online Archives or 12/22/06 news, 06122205, for BP summary on the impact of the GSP CNL waiver amendments contained in the "Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006" which allow the President to revoke a CNL waiver that has been in effect for at least five years for a GSP-eligible product from a specific country if certain thresholds are reached.
See ITT's Online Archives or 05/08/08 news, 08050830, for BP summary of USTR's 2008 GSP Guidebook
See ITT's Online Archives or 05/15/08 news, 08051505, for BP summary of CBP overview on GSP claims, list of common importer errors, etc.
See ITT's Online Archives or 04/16/08 news, 08041610, for BP summary on the USTR's re-initiation of a review to consider designating the Republic of Azerbaijan as a GSP beneficiary developing country.)
USTR contact - GSP Subcommittee (202) 395-6971
USTR Notice (FR Pub 05/15/08) available athttp://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-10917.pdf.