The Senate Finance Committee's top Republican, along with seven of his colleagues, accused Office of the U.S. Trade Representative officials of misleading congressional staff on what they would be negotiating on digital trade at the World Trade Organization. "As recently as this weekend, USTR officials told congressional staff that they had not abandoned support for negotiating the free data flow commitments at issue," Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and his colleagues wrote Oct. 26.
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.
The Commerce Department issued notices in the Federal Register on its recently initiated antidumping duty investigations on aluminum lithographic printing plates from China and Japan (A-570-156, A-588-881), and its countervailing duty investigation on aluminum lithographic printing plates from China (C-570-157). The CVD investigation covers entries for the calendar year 2022. The AD investigation on Japan covers entries July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023, and the AD investigation on China covers entries Jan. 1, 2023, through June 30, 2023.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Noel Quintana and Kelsy Hernandez Quintana, a Florida couple, pleaded guilty on Oct. 19 to conspiring to skirt customs duties on their plywood imports, DOJ announced. Noel also pleaded guilty to one count each of smuggling and violating the Lacey Act, while Kelsey also pleaded guilty to two counts of violating the Lacey Act. In all, the Quintanas' scheme allowed them to evade around $42 million in duties, DOJ said.
A House subcommittee hearing on the government's implementation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act zoomed in on de minimis shipments, low incidence of cotton isotopic testing and the slow pace of adding businesses to the UFLPA Entity List, which captures companies that accept labor transfers outside of Xinjiang.
The United Steelworkers labor union filed petitions Oct. 16 with the Commerce Department and the International Trade Commission requesting new antidumping duties on truck and bus tires from Thailand. Commerce will now decide whether to begin AD investigations.
Trade lawyers and importers are wondering how the anti-stockpiling element of a two-year pause on trade remedy circumvention deposits will be enforced.
International Trade Today is providing readers with the top stories from last week in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.
Frank Seung Noah, a California man working as a customs broker, was arrested on charges that he "defrauded clients out of $2 million" while free on bond from separate charges alleging he defrauded a different client out of $3.4 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced. Noah, who was arrested Oct. 5, has been indicted on eight counts, pleading not guilty to each.
Metal finstock used to test machinery can't be considered articles eligible for testing eligible for duty-free Temporary Importation under Bond (TIB), CBP said in a recently released headquarters ruling.