U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued its instructions for claiming the new benefits available under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004 (Public Law (P.L.) 108-274), for eligible textiles and apparel entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after July 13, 2004.
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.
The Committee for the Implementation of Textile Agreements (CITA) has issued a notice announcing the 2004/2005 quantities of apparel made from African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) fabric and/or AGOA/U.S. yarn, or apparel made from any fabric or yarn, that are eligible to receive duty-free treatment under the AGOA pursuant to HTS 9819.11.09 and/or 9819.11.12 as amended1by the AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III):
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site information on its new Electronic Certification System (eCERT) that will use electronic data transmissions of information normally associated with a required export document, such as a license or certificate, to facilitate the administration of quotas (e.g., tariff preference levels (TPLs) and tariff rate quotas (TRQs)).
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a press release announcing that on September 14, 2004, the U.S. and Bahrain signed the U.S.-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that on September 14, 2004, CBP Commissioner Bonner was presented with the Maritime Security Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his proposing such programs as the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), the Container Security Initiative (CSI), etc. (CBP press release, dated 09/14/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/press_releases/09142004.xml)
On September 7, 2004, the President signed Proclamation 7808 in order to make various changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) with respect to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), etc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has announced that the Reconciliation Prototype has been expanded to allow post-entry importation claims arising under the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement (UCFTA). (See ITT's Online Archives or 09/03/04 news, 04090305, for BP summary of this expansion.) (CBP notice, dated 09/03/04, available at http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/import/cargo_summary/reconciliation/benefits_recon_chile.ctt/benefits_recon_chile.doc)
On September 7, 2004, the President signed Proclamation 7808 in order to make various changes to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) with respect to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Acceleration Act of 2004 (AGOA III), the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), etc.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has posted to its Web site a notice announcing the opening of the tariff-rate quota (TRQ) on fibers of cotton as provided for in HTS Chapter 52, Additional U.S. Note (AUSN) 10 for the period September 11, 2004 through September 10, 2005.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has issued a notice requesting comments on a list of goods whose duties may be increased in the event the U.S. cannot reach agreement with the European Union (EU) for adequate compensation owed under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules as a result of EU enlargement and EU changes to its rice import regime.