The Major Harmonized Tariff Schedule Changes that were to take place on January 1, 2022, have been postponed until late January. Today, the President issued a Proclamation to Modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule; however, the changes will not go into effect until 30 days following the publication of the Presidential Proclamation in the Federal Register which has yet to take place.
News / Regulatory Updates
On January 1, 2022, the seventh edition of the Harmonized System (HS) will enter into force for all countries which subscribe to the Harmonized System Convention. This edition makes some sweeping changes to the Harmonized System with a total of 351 sets of amendments covering a wide range of goods moving across borders.
Due to recent flooding in British Columbia, Canada, all rail service to and from the Port of Vancouver, including Deltaport and Centerm terminals, has been suspended at this moment. Both CN and CP rails are working to assess the damages and timing needed for repair and resume operations.
On Tuesday, November 16, 2021, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office in Federal Register Notice 86 No 218 FR 63438 stated that the Section 301 Exclusions for 99 Covid-19 related medical supplies originally scheduled to expire on November 14, 2021, would be extended through November 30, 2021, and that 81 items would be extended for an additional six months to May 31, 2022.
The West Coast MTO Agreement (WCMTOA) announced on November 10, 2021, the Traffic Mitigation Fee (TMF) at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will be temporarily increased from December 1, 2021, through January 31, 2022, subject to regulatory clearance by the Federal Maritime Commission.
On Sunday, October 31, 2021, the United Sates and the European Union announced in a Joint Statement on Trade in Steel and Aluminum that the U.S. would remove the section 232 tariffs and the E.U. would suspend related tariffs on U.S. products. In addition to the removal of tariffs both will also suspend their related World Trade Organization disputes.
In reaction to the ongoing historic container port congestion, the Biden Administration announced on October 25th that effective November 1, 2021, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will begin charging an “emergency fee” on all long dwelling cargo.
The USTR has announced that it is inviting public comments on whether to reinstate any of the 549 China Section 301 product exclusions that had previously been extended but are now expired. This represents only a small portion of the original 2,200 total product exclusions previously approved by the USTR which were allowed to expire without extension.
On Friday, October 1, 2021, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) office announced an agreement to resolve the Timber Section 301 Investigation. The agreement secures commitments that will help keep illegally harvested or traded timber out of the supply chain and protect the environment and natural resources.