CBP is requesting comments by Feb. 23 on an existing information collection for petitions for remission or mitigation of forfeitures and penalties incurred. CBP proposes (here) to extend the expiration date of this information collection with a change to the burden hours.
The calendar year 2013 satisfaction rates among Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) users fell to 39 percent, from 56 percent the previous year, said CBP (here). The agency "identified areas of concern and has developed a plan to address these issues." For example, CBP plans to improve ACE reports through the addition of " dashboards, workspace models, new reports, legacy reports redesign, migration to an Enterprise Data Warehouse, a common home page, a resource library, new training products, and an updated data dictionary," it said. CBP said it will also improve its training offerings and ease of use, it said. As part of the improvement efforts, the agency will consider adding the ability for single entry of broker information and antidumping and countervailing duty enhancements, it said.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Dec. 18, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at http://adcvd.cbp.dhs.gov/adcvdweb.
In the Dec. 17 issue of the CBP Customs Bulletin (Vol. 48, No. 50), CBP published a notice that proposes to modify or revoke rulings and similar treatment for the tariff classification of landfill compactors (here).
The April customs broker’s license examination is scheduled for Monday, April 13, as expected (1412080025), said CBP in an official notice (here). While usually scheduled for the first Monday in April, the first Monday coincides with the observance of the religious holiday of Passover, said CBP. The exam typically consists of 80 multiple-choice questions, with a score of 75 percent required to pass.
The 2015 annual user fee of $138 for each customs broker district permit and national permit held by an individual, partnership, association, or corporation is due by Feb. 27, said CBP in a notice (here). According to 19 CFR 111.96(c), this user fee is payable for each calendar year at the port through which the broker was issued a permit or at a port referred to in 19 CFR 111.19(c) in the case of a national permit. Note that 19 CFR 111.96(c) also states that if a broker fails to pay the annual user fee by the published due date, the appropriate port director will notify the broker in writing of the failure to pay and will revoke the permit to operate. That notice will constitute revocation of the permit. CBP anticipates "that for subsequent years, the annual user fee for customs brokers will be due on the last business day of February of each year," it said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Dec. 17, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at http://adcvd.cbp.dhs.gov/adcvdweb.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Dec. 17 (here) with 76 rulings, bringing the total number of searchable rulings to 184,831. The most recent ruling is dated 12/10/14.
The Department of Homeland Security is pushing for global use of the World Customs Organization data model, the WCO said (here). The data model is "a set of combined data requirements that are updated on a regular basis to meet the procedural and legal needs of cross-border regulatory agencies," said the WCO. "It includes information related to the context, content, structures, and technical solutions for information exchange, providing a common goal for trading partners to converge towards." The WCO also noted DHS's work toward completing the International Trade Data System by December 2016. The agency recently started a series of posts on the ITDS efforts (here), said the WCO.