American Customs Tariff to be Simplified
7 April 1999
American Customs Tariff to be Simplified
The following article is excerpted from "The Journal of Commerce" issue of 7 April 1999.
The International Trade Commission (ITC) announced on 5 April that it has completed the first draft of a simplified US Harmonized Tariff schedule. This draft reduces the number of pages of the US Tariff from approximately 1390 to just 945. The ITC is an independent, non-partisan agency of the American federal government.
The project is intended to eliminate unnecessary complications that have accumulated due to trade agreements, anti-dumping orders and other government decisions. The proposed modifications are designed to make the Tariff simpler and more transparent to users.
The ITC has released a public comment version of its draft, covering Chapters 1 through 97, and has asked for public comments until 30 June 1999. This draft is available on the ITC's web site, at http://www.usitc.gov, under the "Tariff Affairs" link, in a PDF-format file.
The ITC's final report will be submitted to the American government and president by mid-July of the year 2000.