CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP released its Oct. 8 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 40). While the Bulletin does not contain any ruling articles, it does include recent Court of International Trade decisions.
CBP posted a draft update to the CBP and Trade Automated Interface Requirements (CATAIR) that includes the addition of a "Known Importer" indicator. The program, as suggested by the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America, would allow brokers to flag entries for clients that have gone over a questionnaire providing to the broker various information on their importing practices (see 13041124). The flag is hoped to eventually allow the importer to obtain benefits from CBP, possibly including targeting. A CBP official recently said it would begin collecting such information in January (see 14091609). Earlier this year, NCBFAA asked CBP to create an entry flag for the program, which is an industry initiative rather than an official agency pilot (see 14041502).
CBP is seeking public comment on a number of proposed revisions to the Importer ID Input Record (Form 5106), the agency said in a notice (here). The proposed updates to the form, which is also being renamed to "Create/Update Importer Identity Form," marks a long-discussed step toward improving the data the agency collects on importers (see 12100512). The update is also significant in that the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations Role of the Broker working group said last year it would hold off on developing recommendations for bona fides collections until the updated Form 5106 was released due to likely overlaps (see 13111801). Comments are due Dec. 8.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
Brenda Smith officially took over as the head of the CBP Office of International Trade after a Oct. 6 transition ceremony at CBP headquarters. CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske administered an oath of office to Smith during the ceremony. Smith last month was announced as the next assistant commissioner, replacing Rich DiNucci, who had been in the role in an "acting" capacity (see 14091218). Kerlikowske also announced that Sandra Bell will be Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Office of International Trade. Bell was executive director of Regulations and Rulings at CBP since 2006, during which she handled "the customs rulings program, civil administrative enforcement programs, rulemaking and information law, and legal decisions relating to navigation and border security issues administered by CBP," according to a CBP bio.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for Sept. 29-Oct. 3 in case they were missed.
Petroleum stored on floating tanker vessels that will eventually return to the same U.S. port from where it was loaded does not require an entry filing, CBP told Morgan Stanley Capital Group in a July 25 internal advice ruling. While Morgan Stanley requested a prospective ruling in 2011, because the transaction has since occurred, the agency treated the request as internal advice, it said. The ruling, HQ H169017, considers the entry filing and other requirements for domestically produced or duty-paid petroleum stored on the vessels.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
CBP issued its weekly tariff rate quota and tariff preference level commodity report as of Oct. 6. This report (here) includes TRQs on various products such as beef, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa products, and tobacco; and certain BFTA, DR-CAFTA, Israel FTA, JFTA, MFTA, OFTA, SFTA, UAFTA (AFTA) and UCFTA (Chile FTA) non-textile TRQs, etc. Each report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, BFTA, DR-CAFTA, CBTPA, Haitian HOPE, MFTA, NAFTA, OFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA TPLs and TRQs for qualifying textile articles and/or other articles; the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc.