CBP published the quarterly Internal Revenue Service interest rates used to calculate interest on overdue accounts (underpayments) and refund (overpayments) of customs duties. For the quarter which began Jan. 1 and ends March. 31, the interest rates for overpayments will be 2 percent for corporations and 3 percent for non-corporations, and the rate of underpayments will be 3 percent for corporations and non-corporations. These interest rates are subject to change for the calendar quarter beginning April 1 and ending June 30, said CBP.
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Jan. 10, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
CBP will add several Missouri ports to the Simplified Entry pilot, said Scarbrough International, a pilot participant, in a press release. CBP recently told the company it will add the Port of St. Louis, Kansas City Airport and Springfield Airport to the program, Scarbrough said. The pilot, now officially called the Automated Commercial Environment Cargo Release, was recently expanded (see 13110115). “As one of only a few brokers nationally with the permissions and capabilities to transmit a Simplified Entry, we are very pleased to be the voice for the Midwest and represent the many international businesses in our region that utilize Missouri airports to fulfill their supply chain and logistics needs,” said Adam Hill, vice president of Operations for Scarbrough
CBP New York/Newark released statistics in a pipeline notice showing the "cycle time measurement" of Centralized Examination Stations from Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. The cycle times refer to the time from ocean container arrival, as transmitted via the Automated Commercial Environment, through final examination completion as recorded in the Cargo Enforcement Reporting and Tracking System.
CBP is seeking to revise its regulations to lessen requirements for importing goods from U.S. territories, known as insular possessions, that fall outside the customs territory, it said in a notice of proposed rulemaking. Currently, to receive duty-free treatment of imports from U.S. territories other than Puerto Rico, the importer is required to file a signed CBP Form 3229 with each entry that includes the signature of a customs official at the port of export. The agency proposes to update its regulations in 19 CFR Part 7 to remove the export verification altogether and only require the importer to provide the form upon CBP request.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related issues:
A listing of recent antidumping and countervailing duty messages from the Commerce Department posted to CBP's website Jan. 9, along with the case number(s) and CBP message number, is provided below. The messages are available by searching for the listed CBP message number at addcvd.cbp.gov. (CBP occasionally adds backdated messages without otherwise indicating which message was added. ITT will include a message date in parentheses in such cases.)
The U.S. government is extending and amending import restrictions for five years on archaeological materials from China, which are set to expire Jan. 14, said CBP in a Federal Register notice. The notice, effective Jan. 14, said the State Department has determined that conditions continue to warrant the imposition of import restrictions and CBP's regulations will be amended to reflect the extension. The list of designated articles will also be amended to include archaeological materials representing China’s cultural heritage from the Paleolithic Period (c. 75,000 B.C.) through the end of the Tang Period (A.D. 907) and monumental sculpture and wall art at least 250 years old as of January 14, 2009, said CBP.
Importers should continue to flag goods that are eligible for Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) despite the expiration of the program on July 31, said CBP Seattle in a trade information notice. The normal duty rate should be paid for GSP goods following the expiration, but continued flagging of the imports will allow CBP to process automatic duty refunds if GSP is renewed with a retroactive clause, the agency said. Importers should use the special program indicator (SPI) A or A+, it said. The expiration of GSP won't affect payment of the merchandise processing fee, said CBP.
CBP is extending the comment period to Feb. 10 for an existing information collection on forms for vessel entrance or clearance statements. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with no change to the burden hours.