The Internal Revenue Service said it is considering the addition of four chemicals to its list of taxable substances subject to the Superfund tax on imports. The agency seeks comments by Nov. 4 on petitions to add propylene glycol phenyl ether imported under tariff subheading 2909.49.1500 at a rate of $13.16/ton; propylene glycol n-propyl ether under subheading 2909.49.6000 at a rate of $10.43/ton; propylene glycol methyl ether under 2909.49.6000 at $10.58/ton; and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate under 2915.39.9000 at $8.85/ton.
The House of Representatives will not be voting on a de minimis restriction as part of its "China week," according to a list of 31 bills published by its leadership Sept. 3. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had said in July that he expected changes to de minimis to be part of the package (see 2407080049).
The U.S. has suspended liquidation for goods exported from Minera Camino Rojo, a mine in Zacatecas, after deciding a petition from Mineros, a mining union, had merit. The petition said that managers undermined worker support for Mineros and promoted the idea of joining a different mining union. This is the 27th time the U.S. has invoked the USMCA rapid response labor mechanism; all cases have been settled without a removal of tariff benefits.
Higher or new Section 301 action on Chinese goods such as batteries, EVs, plug-in hybrids, ship-to-shore cranes, solar cells and panels, syringes, needles, critical minerals, some metals will not go up until at least September, as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has missed a second self-imposed deadline. The proposed changes, first announced in May, said some tariffs would go up on Aug. 1, but on July 30, the office said it had not finished responding to more than 1,100 comments, and it would make a final determination in August (see 2407300047).
The Court of International Trade on Aug. 28 denied both the government's and importer HyAxiom's motions for judgment in a customs classification case on PC50 supermodules, which are a part of a stationary hydrogen fuel cell generator known as the PureCell Model 400. Judge Timothy Stanceu said a factual determination is needed on whether the PC50's "principal function" is gas generation.
CBP has released its Aug. 28 Customs Bulletin (Vol. 58, No. 34). The bulletin includes two decisions, one on the extension of import restrictions imposed on certain archaeological material of Algeria and the other on the tuna tariff-rate quota for calendar year 2024.
China’s Foreign Ministry this week criticized Canada’s decision to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports (see 2408260033), saying the measure “ignores facts” and “disrespects” World Trade Organization rules. “This typical protectionist move disrupts China-Canada trade relations, harms the interests of Canadian companies and consumers, and does little good to Canada’s green transition process and global effort for climate response,” a ministry spokesperson said during an Aug. 27 press conference in response to a question from a wire service reporter. “China will take all measures necessary to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told China's foreign minister that the U.S. is still concerned about the Chinese government's "unfair trade policies and non-market economic practices," according to a White House readout that focused more on military and law enforcement issues than trade.
The Bureau of Industry and Security is extending a public comment period for an information collection involving Section 232 investigation requests. BIS said that, after receiving a request, it investigates the “effects of imports of specific commodities” on U.S. national security, including by distributing surveys, and may provide those findings to the president for possible adjustments to import tariffs. The collection helps BIS “account for the public burden associated with the surveys distributed to determine the impact on national security.” The agency had requested public comments in April and is now allowing for another 30 days of comments.
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