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Members of the trade community recommended that CBP work toward an automated system that would allow greater control over the right to make entry, at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations (COAC) held May 22 in Miami. That would help address enforcement issues related to identity theft and, combined with additional data requirements and automation for CBP Form 5106, would replace an earlier idea that changes be made to Part 111 broker regulations related to powers of attorney. CBP officials attending the meeting praised the suggestion of an automated system, with an official involved in the development of the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) saying similar capabilities are already in place.
CBP New York/New Jersey will hold a seminar on "Steel Identification, Classification and Trade Law" on July 16-17, it said in an information pipeline. The seminar, which will include presentations from technical, commercial and legal experts from the industry, is meant to "enhance the knowledge level of steel importations" for government officials and customs brokers, it said. Registration is required. The seminar will be at CBP at 11 Raymond Blvd., Newark, New Jersey.
The Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) recommends that CBP remove the district permitting requirement and make other changes to broker regulations, said a CBP document posted ahead of the May 22 COAC meeting (here). The COAC recommendations call for new national permit framework that would require customs brokerages to employ an "adequate number of licensed brokers to ensure responsible supervision and control." The potential changes for the permitting regime has sparked some concerns among brokers, even leading to the creation of a "Save a Broker" letter writing campaign (see 14042918).
A husband and wife were recently sentenced to 14 months in prison and $70,000 in restitution for misdeclaring their imported Chinese apparel to be samples in order to avoid paying duties. Hoang Minh “Tommy” Nguyen and Dung Hanh “Yuna” Dao in February pleaded guilty in Eastern California U.S. District Court to conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering. District Judge Lawrence O’Neill on May 8 sentenced them to time served and restitution. The government had earlier seized money from several bank accounts, as well as a house in Patterson, California.
CBP again emphasized the need for "timely transfer of containerized cargo to Centralized Examination Stations" in a May 19 informational pipeline. "Specifically, we need to emphasize that the anti-terrorism/enforcement exams must be transferred without notification to the consignees." CBP has issued the same notice in previous years.
Importers and brokers should not file requests to stop liquidation of claims potentially eligible for a renewed Generalized System of Preferences trade program, which expired last year, said CBP in a CSMS message. The National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America recently advised filers to consider filing protests against liquidation to maintain rights to GSP benefits (see 14051211). Previous renewals of the GSP program allowed CBP to process retroactive refunds regardless of liquidation status, though it remains unclear if that would be the case even if GSP were renewed, the agency said.
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More than 40 industry associations voiced concern with a proposal from the Consumer Product Safety Commission to set a new user fee on imports to cover the costs of expanding its risk-based import surveillance activities, in a letter to the agency and several congressmen dated May 7. Groups including the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA), American Association of Exporters and Importers (AAEI), and U.S. Chamber of Commerce told CPSC that a new user fee on imports, alongside the proposed expansion of product safety certificate requirements, could become a heavy new burden that restricts trade. They urged CPSC to closely consult with industry to make sure any new requirements are as effective as possible without burdening industry.
Importers and brokers should take steps to try and maintain rights for refunds under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), as GSP-eligible entries have started to liquidate as entered, with duty paid, said the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America in a note to members. "Faced with the liquidation of GSP eligible entries, importers (and their brokers) wishing to preserve their rights to potential refunds should consider filing protests against the liquidation of these GSP eligible entries and asking CBP to suspend action on the protest pending the passage of legislation re-authorizing GSP benefits." The trade program expired at the end of July last year.