On December 7, 2005, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the U.S. and Peru had completed a comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA).
Customs duty
A customs duty is a tariff or tax which a country imposes on goods when they are transported across international borders. Customs Duties are used to protect countries' economies, residents, jobs, and environments, by limiting the flow of imported merchandise, especially restricted and prohibited goods, into the country. The Customs duty rate is a percentage determined by the value of the article purchased in the foreign country and not based on quality, size, or weight. U.S. customs duties are listed in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued an ABI administrative message on January 9, 2006 announcing that a change was made to an Automated Export System (AES) database over the January 7, 2006 weekend which affected any JJ drawback applications filed since Saturday, January 7, 2006 a.m. CBP noted that there were only 12 such jobs affected.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its Web site announcing that the second staged entry quota for overshipments of cat 332/432/632pt. originating in China that were exported during the period from October 29, 2004 through October 28, 2005 that opened on December 29, 2005 did not oversubscribe at opening moment. As a result, all entries presented at opening have been charged and may be released. (Adm: 06-002, dated 01/04/05, available at
The Office of U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has posted to its Web site a 33-page document entitled "U.S. Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) Guidebook", which is dated November 2005.
CBP has announced the 2006 "low-duty" tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for originating agricultural products described in HTS Chapter 99, Subchapter XII, U.S. Notes 3 through 16 with respect to the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (MFTA).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted separate notices to its Web site which list the calendar year 2006 Tariff Preference Levels (TPLs) for certain textiles and apparel from Canada or Mexico. These 2006 TPLs are set at the same levels as the 2005 TPL levels.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a memorandum providing instruction for the filing and acceptance of claims for preferential treatment of goods made under the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (MFTA), which took effect on January 1, 2006.
CBP Clarification on NAFTA Certificates of Eligibility and the Quota Period to Which they Correspond
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its Web site which it states clarifies the acceptance of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Certificates of Eligibility for certain textile and apparel products from Canada or Mexico subject to tariff preference levels (TPLs) and the quota period to which they correspond.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its weekly quota commodity report as of December 27, 2005. This report includes tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) on various products such as beef, tuna, sugar, dairy products, peanuts, cotton, cocoa powder, tobacco, certain JFTA, NAFTA, SFTA, UAFTA and UCFTA TRQs, etc. This report also includes the AGOA, ATPDEA, CBTPA, NAFTA, SFTA, and UCFTA (CFTA) tariff preference levels (TPLs) for qualifying apparel and/or other textile articles, the TRQs on worsted wool fabrics, etc. (CBP's weekly quota commodity report, dated 12/27/05, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import/textiles_and_quotas/commodity/)