Extended exemptions from Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and steel left some countries and importers relieved, but others uncertain as to what is around the corner on June 1. Announced the evening of April 30 just hours before the deadline, the proclamations on steel and aluminum announce full, if undefined, exemptions for Argentina, Brazil and Australia, the final details of a steel exemption for South Korea, and a delay until the beginning of June 1 for Canada, Mexico and the European Union.
RANCHO MIRAGE, California -- Much of the $34 million in "additional money earmarked for ACE" within the recent omnibus government funding bill is already "planned out," said Jim Swanson, CBP director-cargo and conveyance security and controls, while speaking at the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America's annual conference on May 1. "That money was to be allocated for new development or enhancements in the ACE process," he said. CBP has a priority list, he said. Among the factors for the priority list was a list of requests provided to CBP from the NCBFAA (see 1802200043).
Though a new accounting class code will be implemented April 28 in ACE for duties on coffee imported into Puerto Rico, shipments from the continental U.S. to Puerto Rico, which are still subject to the duties, will continue to be presented as non-Automated Broker Interface entry summaries on Customs Form 7501, CBP said in a CSMS message. The duties, in effect since the 1930s, cover coffee imports into Puerto Rico under Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) heading 0901 and subheadings 2101.11-2101.12, 2202.99.28 and 2202.99.90, and amount to $2.50 per pound on regular coffee and $1.25 per dutiable pound on coffee preparations, CBP says on its website. The issue of filing domestic shipments came up during CBP’s April 26 biweekly ACE call. The new accounting class code is only meant to automate imports of coffee from foreign countries, which have up to now been filed non-ABI, a CBP official said. The automation will allow CBP to pull out and calculate the Puerto Rico coffee duty separate from regular import tariffs, she said.
The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health still has some requirements for radiation-emitting halogen and incandescent lamps and bulbs, even though these products are not subject to an FDA performance standard, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed update sent April 23. Currently, only mercury vapor and metal halide lamps with an outer glass envelope are covered by a performance standard due to the risk of radiation if the glass envelope is broken, the NCBFAA said. But even though they are not covered, radiation-emitting halogen and incandescent lamps must still comply with FDA regulations on reporting accidental radiation, notification of defects and repurchases, repairs or replacement, the trade group said. However, “CDRH would be ok if these lamps are disclaimed during import entry since the technology surrounding these products is an old and proven technology,” the NCBFAA said.
CBP issued the following releases on commercial trade and related matters:
The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health still has some requirements for radiation-emitting halogen and incandescent lamps and bulbs, even though these products are not subject to an FDA performance standard, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America said in an emailed update sent April 23. Currently, only mercury vapor and metal halide lamps with an outer glass envelope are covered by a performance standard due to the risk of radiation if the glass envelope is broken, the NCBFAA said. But even though they are not covered, radiation-emitting halogen and incandescent lamps must still comply with FDA regulations on reporting accidental radiation, notification of defects and repurchases, repairs or replacement, the trade group said. However, “CDRH would be ok if these lamps are disclaimed during import entry since the technology surrounding these products is an old and proven technology,” the NCBFAA said.
The European Union and Mexico will further reduce tariffs on each other's goods as part of a new trade agreement, the EU said in a news release. "After several months of intense negotiations, this afternoon we reached an agreement in principle on trade and investment between the European Union and Mexico, as part of the modernisation of our bilateral legal framework," EU and Mexican officials said an April 21 joint statement. "Simpler customs procedures will further benefit the EU's industry, including in sectors like pharmaceuticals, machinery and transport equipment," the EU said.
The European Union and Mexico will further reduce tariffs on each other's goods as part of a new trade agreement, the EU said in a news release. "After several months of intense negotiations, this afternoon we reached an agreement in principle on trade and investment between the European Union and Mexico, as part of the modernisation of our bilateral legal framework," EU and Mexican officials said in a joint statement April 21. "Simpler customs procedures will further benefit the EU's industry, including in sectors like pharmaceuticals, machinery and transport equipment," the EU said. Some technical details are still needed and negotiators hope to have a final text by the end of the year.
A Canadian online pharmacy will pay nearly $35 million, and its owner will serve six months of house arrest and five years of probation, as part of a plea deal to charges that it smuggled misbranded and unapproved drugs and distributed counterfeit medication. CanadaDrugs.com and a web of affiliated companies pleaded guilty in December to undervaluing its entries to evade scrutiny as it distributed foreign drugs to doctors in the United States. A Montana federal judge sentenced the companies and Canada Drugs’ CEO, Kristjan Thorkelson, on April 13.
CBP is seeking comments by June 18 on an existing information collection related to the entry/immediate delivery applications and ACE cargo release, it said in a notice. CBP proposes to extend the expiration date of this information collection with minor changes to the information collected related to safeguard duties on washing machines and solar cells and Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum products, as well as an increase of the estimated burden hours associated with the collection.