CBP Extends a Helping Hand

If you were in customs compliance during the Clinton-years, you might remember Customs and Border Protection taking the public position that it was in the business of facilitating legitimate trade and that it would be a "kinder and gentler" agency. U.S. government people actually said that, or possibly I dreamed it. To me, it is real.

That was before 9/11/2001, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, and the shift toward border security as an existential issue of national security. By which I do not mean to denigrate that position at all. CBP's security job is important.

Today CBP announced a possibly small program that is 100% in line with the kinder, gentler agency of yore and helps to facilitate U.S. exports. That's good for the economy.

The program is the opportunity for exporters to request assistance on tariff classifications and customs valuation in other customs territories. Here is the pre-publication notice. It should show up in the Federal Register tomorrow (meaning June 18, 2015).

This notice seems to be formalizing a practice that previously existed. If a U.S. importer or exporter identified inconsistent treatment in another country or customs territory, U.S. Customs and Border Protection has always had the ability to bring that issue to the attention of the proper WCO committee. What is new is that CBP is publicizing that this opportunity exists as a means of fostering greater collaboration with industry. Customs is also saying that it can address the issue directly with the other country.

For conflicts that raise a real substantive issue, CBP says it will endeavor to provide an initial response within 60 days and will keep the relevant party informed thereafter.

This is a potentially valuable program and, also, a genuinely nice thing. Thanks.

Comments

Unknown said…
Great information! Thanks for sharing! (And a happy Smoot-Hawley Day to you, by the way...)
Jun 17, 2015, 6:34:00 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ruling of the Week 2015.8: Old Jersey and Pitcairn Island

Image
For today's ROTW, I set out looking for a ruling dealing with some far off and preferably warm location. Turns out that, with the exception of coastwise transit issues, there are no Customs and Border Protection rulings involving Pitcairn Island or any of several Pacific Ocean microstates including Tuvalu , Niue , and Kiribati . Pitcairn Island What I did find is an interesting question about the country of origin marking for products of the Bailiwick of Jersey Island, Channel Islands. The ruling is HQ 561938 (Mar. 18, 2002). For those of you who may not know, Jersey is an island off the coast of Normandy, France. It is an independent international actor and not part of the U.K. although the U.K. is responsible for its defense and external relations. Also, the Queen is the Head of State in her capacity as "the Crown in Right of Jersey." It is, according to the U.S. Department of State, a " Crown Dependency " along with the Isle of Man and the Bailiwick o
Read more

CAFC Decision in Double Invoicing Case

The Federal Circuit has issued a decision on the merits in United States v. Inn Foods, Inc.  There had been a previous decision on jurisdiction, which was followed by a trial at the Court of International Trade and then this appeal on the substance. The initial issue is whether Inn Foods' invoicing practice amounts to fraud.  Inn Foods had been receiving an invoice from growers in Mexico that had a relatively low sales prices on it.  Subsequent to entry, Inn Foods created a second invoice at something more similar to market value, retaining the original invoice number, and paid at that higher amount.   Superficially, this looks like a standard-issue double-invoicing scheme.  But, in the age of reconciliation, is it really more like a provisional pricing mechanism?  It might have been possible to make that argument had Inn Foods adjusted its entries accordingly.  It didn't and the loss of revenue was approximately $624,000.  Based on testimony and evidence indicating both knowl
Read more

Ninestar and UFLPA Exhaustion

Image
Exhaustion is a key doctrine in administrative law. When applicable, it requires that a party unhappy with an agency’s determination complete the administrative appeal process before turning to the courts for judicial review. Requiring exhaustion typically promotes judicial efficiency by ensuring that disputes are resolved at the agency and, if they are not, that there is a complete record of the agency process. Exhaustion also ensures that the judiciary respects the executive agencies and their expertise.  There are, on the other hand, times when the courts will find that exhaustion is not necessary or appropriate. Such is the case in  Ninestar Corporation et al. v. United States  et al., a decision of the U.S. Court of International Trade.  Ninestar is also interesting because it is one of the first cases in the CIT involving the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, known as UFLPA. In my hiatus from active blogging, I missed the rise of UFLPA as a major compliance topic. So, let's
Read more