The International Trade Commission is asking for comments by July 30 (here) in connection with a review of Generalized System of Preferences announced by the U.S. Trade Representative on July 6 (see 1507060025). The commission is required to submit a report to USTR by Aug. 28 on the likely impact of competitive need limitation waivers for two products from Thailand that are set to lose eligibility unless the waivers are granted. The ITC will also report on the potential addition to GSP of five HTS subheadings for least-developed beneficiaries.
The following lawsuits were filed at the Court of International Trade during the week of July 6-12:.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for July 6 - 10 in case they were missed.
CBP will automatically process refunds for Generalized System of Preference claims that were submitted after the program expired in 2013 (see 13080110), said Dan Anthony, executive director of the Coalition for GSP in a July 10 interview. Refund requests for entries that did not claim GSP eligibility during the lapse are due by Dec. 28 and will be processed as they are received, he said. Signed into law on June 29 (see 1506290045), the program is set to restart on July 29. CBP plans to issue formal guidance on GSP refund processing, so the details could still change, he said.
The House is set to vote in the coming days to put in motion a conference on Customs Reauthorization legislation in order to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill, said lobbyists in recent interviews. The verdict is still out on a range of policies that will directly impact compliance professionals and the broader trade community. Legislative conference is a notoriously secretive process, but lawmakers are expected to hammer out compromises on some major issues, including CBP evasion prevention and enforcement and Miscellaneous Tariff Bill process reforms.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 29 - July 2 in case they were missed.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on July 6 announced the beginning of its annual review of product eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences (here). USTR has listed nearly 100 products (here) that are set to be removed from GSP for certain countries because they exceeded competitive need limitations in 2014 on the amount that each country may export under GSP. Petitions from importers for waivers from expiration of GSP benefits are due by July 31.
CBP will publish a notice in July detailing Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) renewal and how importers can secure refunds, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) (here). "Importers should be advised that duties collected may take up to 90 days after liquidation or reliquidation of entries to process and refund retroactively," USTR said. The House passed retroactive GSP renewal legislation on June 25, requiring CBP to reimburse importers for tariffs on all goods traded in the interim since GSP expired in 2013 and President Obama signed the GSP renewal into law on June 29 (see 1506290045).
President Barack Obama signed into law on June 29 the Trade Preferences Extension Act and the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act, the most recent version of Trade Promotion Authority. The preference package includes renewals for the Generalized System of Preferences, the African Growth and Opportunity Act, two Haiti tariff preference levels, Trade Adjustment Assistance and a host of new tariff changes (see 1504230001). Republican leadership in Congress praised the passage of TPA as a critical step in locking down the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other trade pacts. "This measure will strengthen the hand of U.S. negotiators, allowing them to secure the best deal for American workers while maintaining new, rigorous standards of transparency and accountability," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, in a statement.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories for June 22-26 in case they were missed.