(This BP summary has been modified to indicate that there are 45 TRQs and 2 TPLs (rather than 47 TPLs. See ITT's Online Archives or 04/07/06 news, 06040715 for further details.)
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) has announced that the 2006 "low-duty" tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for agricultural products described in HTS Chapter 99, Subchapter XIII, U.S. Notes 3 through 20 with respect to the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (UAFTA), will open on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 12 noon E.S.T., or its equivalent in other time zones with the following low-duty quantities:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted a notice to its Web site which lists the calendar year 2006 Tariff Preference Level (TPL) for imports from Singapore of certain cotton or MMF apparel goods, or apparel goods subject to cotton or MMF restraints, the foregoing that are both cut (or knit-to-shape) and sewn or otherwise assembled in Singapore from fabric or yarn produced or obtained outside the territory of Singapore or of the U.S. ("3rd Country").
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing that the second staged entry period for overshipments of socks originating in China that were exported during the period of October 29, 2004 - October 28, 2005 will open on December 29, 2005 at 12:00 p.m. EST or its equivalent in other time zones for 2,121,700 dozen pairs.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing that the USTR has provided additional country-by-country allocations of the in-quota "low duty" quantity of the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on raw cane sugar as provided for in HTS Chapter 17, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 5 for the period October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006.
The White House has issued a press release stating that on December 22, 2005, President Bush approved the continued designation of the following 36 countries as eligible for tariff preferences under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA):
On December 22, 2005, President Bush issued Proclamation 7971 to amend the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS), etc., to implement the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (MFTA).
China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has issued a press release announcing that it will cancel the export duties (also referred to as export tariffs or taxes) that have been imposed on certain outbound textiles and clothing, effective January 1, 2006.
In Orlando Food Corp. v. U.S., the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) has reversed a Court of International Trade (CIT) decision, ruling that the U.S. government must pay interest to Orlando in connection with the refund of overpaid duties on a 1989 entry.
CBP has announced that the 2006 tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on animal feed containing milk or milk derivatives as provided for in HTS Chapter 23, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 2 will open on Tuesday, January 3, 2006 at 12 noon E.S.T., or its equivalent in other time zones. The aggregate low-duty quantity is 7,399,700 kg and the below-listed countries have the following minimum access amounts: