International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Aug. 9-13 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Aug. 10. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:
CBP's plans to extend the Part 102 marking rules from NAFTA to USMCA determinations of country of origin for nonpreferential claims and procurement under USMCA (see 2107010045) lacks the legal justifications needed to finalize the proposal, Novolex Holdings, a packaging conglomerate owned by the Carlyle Group, said in comments to the agency. "As proposed, such origin determinations would no longer abide by the precedent developed in over a century of determinations by the federal courts," the company said. The comments were posted Aug. 11 in the docket.
Two longtime career staffers at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative have been nominated for deputy USTR positions. Maria Pagán, the deputy general counsel at the agency, has been chosen to serve as ambassador to the World Trade Organization. According to an announcement from the White House, Pagán handled the implementation package for USMCA and was the lead lawyer in the USMCA negotiation. USTR Katherine Tai said, "María Pagán has proven to be a shrewd negotiator with an unparalleled knowledge of our trade agreements that will serve the United States well as we re-establish relationships with our trading partners and work to reform the World Trade Organization."
Autoparts maker Tridonex, a subsidiary of Cardone Industries, agreed to offer back pay to more than 150 employees who used to work at its Matamoros plant and to remain neutral as the workers at that plant vote on whether to reject the protection union and choose an independent union. A protection union is a union that is in league with the company, rather than an independent voice for workers.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Aug. 2-6 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
CBP's proposed use of Part 102 marking rules to determine the country of origin for nonpreferential claims and procurement under USMCA (see 2107010045) should be made optional for importers or withdrawn by the agency, Cisco and the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) said in comments recently filed in the docket. While CBP says the use of tariff shift rules should result in the same origin finding as the alternative “case-by-case” review, “in practice there are cases where the two methods yield different origin determinations,” CompTIA said in its comments. “This is particularly the case with technology products where programming or software can have an impact on substantial transformation. The Part 102 rules consider only a tariff shift of hardware components and ignore any impact of programming and software on substantial transformation.”
CBP will allow another 30 days of public comments on CBP's proposed use of Part 102 marking rules to determine the country of origin for nonpreferential claims under USMCA (see 2107010045), the agency said in a notice released Aug. 4. Comments on the proposal were previously due Aug. 5, but after receiving requests to extend the deadline, CBP moved the due date to Sept. 7, it said.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from July 26-30 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
The National Association of Manufacturers would like more time to consider the impacts of CBP's proposed use of Part 102 marking rules to determine the country of origin for non-preferential claims under USMCA (see 2107010045) before filing comments, it said in a July 30 filing filing in the docket. "The NAM has been fielding inquiries from manufacturers that are trying to understand the implications of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking," the trade group said. "If implemented, this change could have significant impacts across manufacturing sectors, and we want to ensure that manufacturers are able to provide CBP with constructive input given the highly technical nature of the proposed change. In order for manufacturers to assess fully the potential impacts of this change and to provide meaningful feedback to CBP, the NAM respectfully requests at least a 30-day extension to the deadline for public comments." Comments on the proposal are currently due Aug. 5.