On August 6, 2009, Senate Finance Committee leaders Baucus (D) and Grassley (R) introduced the "Customs Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2009" (S.1631) to strengthen customs facilitation and trade enforcement efforts within U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Drawback
A duty drawback is a refund by CBP of the duties, taxes, or fees paid on imported goods, which were imposed upon importation as prescribed in 19 U.S.C. 1313(d). More broadly, a drawback also includes the refund or remission of other excise taxes pursuant to other provisions of law.
The National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America has presented U.S. Customs and Border Protection Acting Commissioner Ahern with a white paper outlining its ACE priorities for customs brokers.
The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General has issued a report on certain1 U.S. Customs and Border Protection information technology internal controls for fiscal year 2008.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a notice announcing that the next customs broker license exam will be held on Monday, October 5, 2009.
The Office of Textiles and Apparel reports that effective June 1, 2009, China's Value Added Tax (VAT) export rebate (duty drawback rate) for most footwear, headgear, and travel goods increased two percentage points to 15 percent. Certain polymers, silk products, cotton waste, and umbrella goods are also affected by China's most recent decree. (Notice, dated 06/09/09, available at http://web.ita.doc.gov/otexa/hotiss.nsf/7bfa72c94f543da685256e5b00498a4d/68f0c4d32b725d10852575d0004841c8?OpenDocument)
In Aectra Refining and Marketing, Inc. v. U.S., the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the ruling issued by the Court of International Trade that Aectra was not entitled to drawback for Merchandise Processing Fees (MPF) and Harbor Maintenance Taxes (HMT) paid on certain imports.
The Government Accountability Office has issued a report to certain Congressional committees which states that the effectiveness of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Performance and Registration Information Systems Management (PRISM) program is difficult to measure, and national implementation may not occur for years if PRISM continues as a voluntary program.
CBP has posted an updated list of the entry, summary, and drawback points of contact. (List, dated 05/13/09, available at http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/trade_programs/trade_contacts/entry_summary_drawback.xml)
The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently held a four-day series of hearings on the discussion draft of "The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009" (ACES). The hearings were to examine the views of the Administration and a broad range of stakeholders on the discussion draft.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a Broker Self-Assessment Outreach Pilot Program (BSA pilot program) quick reference guide.