U.S. Customs and Border Protection has announced that the 2012 annual user fee of $138 for each customs broker permit and national permit held by an individual, partnership, association, or corporation is due by January 20, 2012.

In the January 4, 2012 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 2), CBP published a notice on its modification of a ruling and treatment regarding the tariff classification of a certain carrying cases. CBP also published a notice on its withdrawal of a revocation and modification of two rulings on the classification of a surgical light system.

In the December 28, 2011 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 1), CBP requested comments by January 27, 2012 on its proposal to more broadly allow transaction value to be used when related party sales are subject to post-importation adjustments, if five factors are met.

In the January 4, 2012 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 2), CBP published two notices that propose to revoke two rulings and similar treatment regarding the tariff classification of children's costume vests and stacking drawers.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has posted a 2009 Great Idea Form (GIF) on a request from the trade community for the ability of Customs brokers to upload employee information from an Excel spreadsheet to the ACE Portal to meet the 19 CFR Part 111 requirement to provide CBP with a list of broker employees. The GIF notes that the functionality delivered with ESAR A1 does not allow the mid to large size broker to take advantage of the ACE Portal for this requirement.

The International Trade Administration is publishing notices in the January 4, 2012 Federal Register on the following AD/CV proceedings (any notices that announce changes to AD/CV duty rates, the scope, affected firms, or effective dates will be detailed in another ITT article):

The International Trade Administration issued a notice revoking the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain cut-to-length carbon-quality steel plate (CTL plate) from Italy and Japan (A-475-826, C-475-827 and A-588-847) effective as of December 6, 2010. This action is in response to the International Trade Commission's determination that revocation of the AD duty orders on CTL Plate from Italy and Japan and revocation of the CV duty order on CTL plate from Italy would not be likely to lead to the continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the U.S. ITA also issued a notice announcing that it is keeping its AD and CV duty orders in place for CTL plate from India, Indonesia and Korea (A-533-817, C-533-818, A-560-805, C-560-806, A-580-836, C-580-837) due to the ITA's determination that revocation would likely lead to the continuation of dumping and a countervailable subsidy and the ITC's determination that revocation would likely lead to a continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the U.S.

The International Trade Administration is giving advance notice that it and the International Trade Commission will consider revoking the antidumping duty orders on clad steel plate from Japan (A-588-838) and pure magnesium in granular form from China (A-570-864) in their automatic five year sunset reviews of these orders, which are scheduled to be initiated in February 2012.

In the December 28, 2011 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 1), CBP published two notices that propose to revoke or modify six rulings and similar treatment regarding CBP's previous classification of the "Trendy Tee" craft kit and certain air fresheners as HTS Chapter 95 "toys". CBP proposes that these articles no longer be classified as toys because their primary purpose is not for amusement.

In the December 28, 2011 issue of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Bulletin (Vol. 46, No. 1), CBP published a notice that proposes to revoke a ruling and similar treatment regarding the tariff classification of a men's bonded vest.