In a Jan. 12 speech to the National Foreign Trade Council, a business group that promotes free trade, President-elect Joe Biden's choice for U.S. trade representative said “U.S. trade policy must benefit regular Americans, communities and workers.” Katherine Tai added that it “starts with recognizing that people are not just consumers. They are also workers.”
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Dec. 30. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:
International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories published in 2020 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference numbers.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, joined by five Republicans and two Democrats on the committee, told the Office of Management and Budget that a proposed rule to carve out items under Section 301 tariffs from de minimis needs “a thorough and complete review,” including a public comment period of 60 days. However, the letter was not signed by either of the two men who might be the chairman in January, depending on which party controls the Senate.
The Customs Rulings Online Search System (CROSS) was updated Dec. 21. The following headquarters rulings were modified recently, according to CBP:
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from Dec. 14-18 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
CBP recently deployed ACE functionalities for “triennial status report/fee” automation, the agency said in an updated ACE deployment schedule. “Three additional capabilities will deploy in 2022,” it said Dec. 17. “Remaining deployments include Broker License Application with interface to ACE, Broker Permit Application with interface to ACE, and Broker Annual Permit User Fee with interface to ACE.” CBP also revised the expected deployment dates for Real-time Automated Surety Interface and USMCA drawback, according to the change log.
Foreign-trade zone users will no longer be able to claim tariff benefits under USMCA when the products manufactured in those zones meet the free trade agreement's rules of origin. However, none of the producers had yet been able to avoid tariffs on inputs, National Association of Foreign-Trade Zones CEO Erik Autor told International Trade Today Dec. 21, as there had been no administrative process at CBP to implement the change.
Technical fixes for USMCA, including the restoration of merchandise processing fee refunds for post-entry filings, are part of the end-of-year legislative package expected to pass later today, a Senate Finance Committee spokesman said.