International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Nov. 30-Dec. 4 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said that he hopes that a technical fixes bill for USMCA can pass this month, but its passage is hung up on whether goods manufactured in foreign-trade zones should be able to benefit from USMCA if those goods meet the rules of origin.
Importers must file protests to preserve their rights to Section 301 tariff exclusions issued after an entry has already liquidated, the Department of Justice said in a motion to dismiss a pair of lawsuits that seek to have the exclusions applied past the protest deadline. CBP’s failure to apply the exclusions was a protestable event, even if the exclusions did not exist at the time, and the Court of International Trade’s jurisdictional scheme means CIT can’t hear cases wherein the importer skipped the protest scheme, DOJ said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Nov. 16-20 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
FBB Federal Relations partner Ray Bucheger told members of the Pacific Coast Council of Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Associations that while the message on the Hill is discouraging on extending current Section 301 exclusions, his firm is working on legislation for the companies that received exclusions too late to get refunds for the tariffs paid.
Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., and Rep. Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, asked the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to lift the 25% Section 301 tariffs on Chinese hand sanitizer, suggesting that 301 exclusions for pump parts or other imports for American hand sanitizer manufacturers is not sufficient. They said that the ad hoc sanitizer manufacturing that has sprung up does not include ingredients to make sanitizers that have a gel or foam consistency, and that a more liquid form is not as effective. “There have been various other reports of quality problems in the industry, including a surge in reports of sanitizers containing dangerous contaminants, such as methanol and 1-propanol, that can be poisonous when absorbed through the skin or ingested. The list of FDA-recalled hand sanitizers due to unsafe and potentially lethal ingredients is rapidly growing; in June there were nine recalled sanitizers, and in only two months the list has grown to 165 recalled sanitizers,” they wrote recently.
The International Trade Commission recently issued Revision 21 to the 2020 Harmonized Tariff Schedule. This latest revision implements a cut to Section 232 quotas on Brazilian semi-finished steel that took effect Aug. 28 (see 2008310010), and changes to the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement rules of origin that had been part of the proclamation implementing USMCA at the end of July (see 2006300079). It also reflects extensions to List 4 Section 301 exclusions that had been set to expire Sept. 1 (see 2008310013), now filed under new tariff subheading 9903.88.57.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Aug. 31-Sept. 4 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
More companies are seeking drawback payments as the economic slowdown has increased the importance of cash on hand, CBP officials and industry executives said during the American Association of Exporters and Importers virtual conference Aug. 20. “In general, I would say COVID's had a major impact on our businesses and it's also made our company even more focused on getting cash in the door,” said Kathleen Palma, senior executive for international trade compliance at GE. “One of the levers that our leadership has been looking at has been drawback.” At the same time, Palma expects that because the company is bringing in fewer shipments, that will be reflected in fewer drawback claims going forward.
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories from Aug. 3-7 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.