The International Trade Commission posted Revision 4 to the 2024 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The semiannual update to the HTS adds new 10-digit tariff numbers for a variety of products, including integrated circuits and plantation-harvested teak. All changes take effect July 1, unless otherwise specified.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The U.S. on July 1 urged the Court of International Trade to dismiss customs broker Seko Customs Brokerage's suit contesting CBP's suspension of the company from participation in the Entry Type 86 pilot and Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism program. The government said Seko's claims aren't ripe for judicial review, are moot and are premature (Seko Customs Brokerage v. U.S., CIT # 24-00097).
Trade groups and major companies that make electric cars, light trucks and heavy trucks told the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative that domestic industry is not ready to take over from Chinese suppliers of graphite, artificial graphite and electric vehicle battery cells on the timelines the Section 301 tariff modifications propose.
Solar manufacturers asked for retroactive relief on Section 301 tariffs on manufacturing equipment, buyers and producers disagreed on medical product tariffs and many manufacturers supported the equipment listed, and asked for more equipment or parts for equipment that was not identified by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as it recommended a new round of exclusions limited to manufacturing equipment.
The U.S. Supreme Court on June 28 overturned a hallmark of administrative law that had stood for four decades: the principle, established in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council, of deferring to federal agencies' interpretation of ambiguous statutes.
A number of prominent trade groups, along with Winnebago, the motor home and powerboat maker with 6,000 employees, questioned the wisdom of a tariff hike from 7.5% to 25% on lithium-ion batteries outside the electric vehicle sector (Harmonized Tariff Schedule subheading 8507.60.0020).
Witnesses at the annual African Growth and Opportunity Act eligibility review hearing contradicted an earlier comment from the Ethiopian government, which argued that Tigray has been relatively peaceful since November 2022, and basic services such as electricity, water, phone service, education and healthcare have been restored in the region. "Following widespread and substantial reforms of the food assistance structure, which allowed for enhanced oversight and beneficiary selection, USAID resumed food assistance across Ethiopia," Ethiopian representatives wrote.
Sandler Travis & Rosenberg, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's Educational Institute, Global Trade Professionals Alliance/E-Merchants Trade Council, International Compliance Professionals Association and TrüTrade Solutions have been chosen by CBP to provide continuing education hours for customs brokers renewing their licenses.
CBP Executive Director for Trade Policy and Programs Brandon Lord told an audience during a Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee meeting that its work groups had offered "very thoughtful, forward-leaning recommendations," and that he was particularly excited about their new vision of a customs brokers exam.