De Miminis Increase Important, but Customs Reauthorization is Focus, Says DHL Executive
MIAMI -- There's strong support of congressional efforts to enact a de minimis raise from $200 to $800 for commercial imports, but the express industry is more focused on ensuring Customs Reauthorization passes into law this Congress, said DHL Head of International Affairs Eugene Laney at the International Chamber of Commerce and U.S. Council for International Business on Feb. 24. The House and Senate both recently introduced that bipartisan legislation (see 1502170017).
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There’s “enormous interest and enthusiasm” for that raise in the de minimis threshold, Laney said. But “that’s a tiny piece of Customs Reauthorization bill,” he said. “I think the important thing is to move that larger bill forward.” Many trade supporters are looking to Trade Promotion Authority as a vehicle for Customs Reauthorization in the coming weeks.
The International Chamber of Commerce now prefers the $1,000 de minimis level in the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement (see 1502230027), but that pact says countries should implement de minimis thresholds only "to the extent possible," so it wouldn’t have a concrete impact on U.S. law. Laney said the crux of the de minimis discussion is cost-saving for "low-risk, low-value goods," adding that more thorough analysis needs to take place for countries across the globe to identify sensible de minimis thresholds.