The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice stating that the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Subcommittee of the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC) is seeking public comments by May 12, 2004 on which products of Bangladesh should no longer be eligible for GSP duty-free treatment if the GSP Subcommittee decides to recommend limiting Bangladesh's GSP benefits.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a notice advising the trade on the upcoming system requirements that will be needed to file a U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SFTA) claim under HTS 9999.00.84 through the Automated Broker Interface (ABI).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a new informed compliance publication (dated March 2004) entitled "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Vending Machines and Their Parts Under the HTSUS." CBP states that this publication is a study of the classification of vending machines and their parts under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S. (HTSUS).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued to the ports and posted to its Web site separate instructions regarding (1) the use of visas to make claims for duty-free treatment under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for qualifying textile and/or apparel articles (textile articles) from Sierra Leone that are entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 5, 2004, and (2) quota reporting for certain apparel articles from Sierra Leone that are subject to the AGOA aggregate tariff preference level (TPL) and its sublimit.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its Web site stating that the third 2003/2004 "low duty" tariff rate quota (TRQ) for specialty sugar for the April 19, 2004 through September 30, 2004 period opens for 2,000,000 kilograms on April 19, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. EDST or its equivalent in other time zones. CBP notes that this TRQ is expected to oversubscribe at opening moment.
In the April 7, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 15), CBP issued notices: (a) revoking two classification rulings on certain waterproof clogs, (b) revoking two classification rulings on certain aluminum compounds and salt, and (c) revoking two classification rulings on certain voice and data terminal blocks. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in these notices.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted additional information to its Web site regarding the April 1, 2004 statistical changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) for certain men's and boys' cotton T-shirts and certain other garments classified in HTS 6109.10.00.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice announcing its determination that Sierra Leone (1) has adopted an effective visa system and related procedures to prevent unlawful transshipment and the use of counterfeit documents in connection with shipments of textile and apparel articles, and (2) has implemented and follows, or is making substantial progress toward implementing and following, the customs procedures required by the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). This determination is effective April 5, 2004.
In the March 31, 2004 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (CBP Bulletin) (Vol. 38, No. 14), CBP issued notices (a) detailing the dates and draft agenda for the 33rd Session of the Harmonized System Committee, and (b) revoking two classification rulings on blackout drapery fabrics. CBP states that it is also revoking any treatment it has previously accorded to substantially identical transactions that are contrary to its position in the revocation notice.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site the draft text of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which is dated March 31, 2004.