The International Trade Commission issued Revision 14 to the 2018 Harmonized Tariff Schedule, implementing the removal of Generalized System of Preferences benefits for a lengthy list of products from certain countries as a result of the 2017-18 GSP review (see 1810300031). Changes include the replacement of special program indicator “A” with “A*” -- indicating GSP eligibility only when imported from certain countries -- for subheadings that are now GSP-ineligible when imported from countries that exceeded annual import limits. These ineligible country-product pairs are added to the burgeoning General Note 4(d) of the tariff schedule, which is now over twice as long as it was in previous years’ tariff schedules.
CBP created Harmonized System Update (HSU) 1819 on Oct. 31, containing 1,200 Automated Broker Interface records and 245 harmonized tariff records, it said in a CSMS message. The update also includes changes required by an Oct. 30 Presidential Proclamation that removed many items from Generalized System of Preferences eligibility (see 1810300031), CBP said.
CBP has competed automatic processing of duty refunds for more than 400,000 entry lines flagged for Generalized System of Preferences benefits that were entered during the lapse in the program in early 2018, it said in CSMS message. The agency will now turn to an additional 22,000 lines that were also submitted with special program indicator (SPI) “A” at entry summary, indicating a GSP claim, but that nonetheless require manual processing. “CBP anticipates processing by the [Centers of Excellence and Expertise] to take several months,” it said.
President Donald Trump issued Presidential Proclamation 9813 on Oct. 30, implementing the final results of the 2017-18 Generalized System of Preferences review and, in the process, making changes to tariff classification provisions for fruit juices. According to the recently issued results of the review, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is denying nearly all requests for waivers, removing nearly all country-product pairs that exceeded import limits from GSP eligibility.
Gold and silver jewelry produced in Turkey is eligible for Generalized System of Preferences benefits because the goods went through a double transformation within the country, CBP said in an Aug. 7 ruling. Arpas International, represented by Cowan Liebowitz, requested a further review of protest on the entry. GSP eligibility was questioned upon entry due to documentation sufficiency issues, CBP said.
The Philippines Secretary of Trade and Industry Ramon Lopez and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer issued a joint statement Oct. 22 describing "achievements resolving bilateral trade issues" between the two countries. The Philippines and U.S. have agreed to cooperate on automotive standards for imported autos; the Philippines has agreed to not discriminate against foreign electronics payments providers; and the U.S. will help the Philippines develop stronger cold chain practices, so it can export food that needs to be kept cold.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is holding a meeting to review Generalized System of Preferences eligibility for eight countries on Nov. 29, the USTR said in a notice. The Trade Policy GSP Subcommittee is examining whether Ecuador is acting in good faith to enforce an arbitration award, a dispute originated by Chevron (see 12092604). It is examining whether workers in Bolivia, Georgia, Iraq, Thailand and Uzbekistan have rights up to international standards, challenges brought by the AFL-CIO or another labor nonprofit (see 1511240017 and 11110124). And it is continuing to examine whether Laos should join the program. The committee is examining whether Indonesia and Uzbekistan are adequately protecting intellectual property rights. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. at 1724 F St. NW in Washington, DC.
The government of Canada recently issued the following trade-related notices as of Oct. 15 (some may also be given separate headlines):
A toolset that is classifiable under a subheading not covered by the Section 301 tariffs is still subject to those tariffs because one of the components is subject to the tariffs, CBP said in a Sept. 6 ruling, HQ H299857. CBP's ruling followed a request for reconsideration of a ruling on the toolset at issue. Marilyn-Joy Cerny of Sandler Travis filed the reconsideration request and argued that the initial ruling "improperly extended the Section 301 measures to sets classified in subheading 8206.00.00," CBP said.
The International Trade Commission issued Revision 12 to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. The relatively comprehensive update implements as of Oct. 1 new provisions for wood products agreed to by the World Customs Organization, and adds new subheadings for pesticide-impregnated bed nets in Chapter 63. Other changes include new provisions for the third, $200 billion list of 10 percent Section 301 tariffs that took effect for goods from China beginning Sept. 24, as well as new exemptions for certain products from Section 201 safeguards on solar cells that took effect Sept. 19.