The House Ways and Means Committee Trade Subcommittee sought to learn lessons for trade and manufacturing from COVID-19, but panelists diverged on whether more money should be spent standing up domestic suppliers of masks and gowns, or whether the government should look to identify sources around the world that can respond to surges in demand like those this year.
CBP does not have the authority to extend deadlines for filing protests so that importers can claim refunds of Section 301 tariffs on goods granted exclusions well after liquidation, though a path to refunds may be possible via the reconciliation process, Ana Hinojosa, executive director of CBP’s trade remedy and law enforcement division, said during the Commercial Customs Operations Advisory Committee's July 15 meeting.
2020 outpaced even the active 2019 in terms of the frequency of Harmonized Tariff Schedule updates. Most of the updates implemented new Section 301 exclusions and changes and extensions for existing ones. Other major changes included new Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum "derivatives" and the withdrawal of Generalized System of Preferences benefits for many goods from Thailand In all, 13 revisions were issued prior to the mid-year Revision 14, as follows:
The International Trade Commission posted Revision 14 to the 2020 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The semiannual update to the HTS implements USMCA, which took effect July 1, and adds new tariff numbers for a variety of products, including diagnostic reagents and personal protective equipment. All changes take effect July 1, unless otherwise specified.
The International Trade Commission posted Revision 14 to the 2020 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The semiannual update to the HTS implements USMCA, which took effect July 1, and adds new tariff numbers for a variety of products, including diagnostic reagents and personal protective equipment. All changes take effect July 1, unless otherwise specified.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 22-26 in case they were missed.
President Donald Trump on June 30 released the annexes to Presidential Proclamation 10053, including provisions to implement the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, scheduling it for publication in the July 1 Federal Register. Among the annexes are new General Note 11 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which lays out USMCA rules of origin. The proclamation also adds new special program indicators (SPIs) “S” and “S+” throughout the tariff schedule for goods eligible for USMCA treatment. These changes take effect July 1.
Countries that do not guarantee women's equal protection under the law, protect women from discrimination in hiring, or stop violence and sexual harassment at work should not be able to export products duty free under the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said. Their bill, introduced June 18, would amend the GSP program with these conditions (see 2006230053).
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June15-19 in case they were missed.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that there's “a good chance” that the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program, will be renewed in Congress before it expires at the end of the year. He said to International Trade Today that the only controversy around GSP is that India was removed because it wasn't “living up to other things we want.”