[Federal Register: August 29, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 166)]
[Notices]
[Page 51089-51090]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29au05-78]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Possible Modifications to the International Harmonized System
Nomenclature
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Request for proposals to amend the international Harmonized
System.
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SUMMARY: The Commission is soliciting proposals from interested parties
and agencies to amend the international Harmonized Commodity
Description and Coding System (Harmonized System), including the rules
of interpretation, section and chapter notes and the texts of the
headings and subheadings, with a view to keeping the System current
with changes in technology and trade patterns. Specific proposals in
this connection will be reviewed by the Commission staff for potential
submission to the World Customs Organization (WCO), in Brussels,
Belgium.
EFFECTIVE DATE: August 18, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Beck, Acting Director, Office of
Tariff Affairs and Trade Agreements (O/TATA) (202-205-2595,
david.beck@usitc.gov) or Ronald Heller (202-205-2596,
ronald.heller@usitc.gov). The O/TATA fax number is 202-205-2616. The
media should contact Margaret O'Laughlin, Office of External Relations
(202-205-1819, margaret.olaughlin@usitc.gov). Hearing impaired
individuals are advised that information on this matter can be obtained
by contacting the TDD terminal on (202-205-1810). General information
concerning the Commission, including subsequent notices published
pursuant to section 1210 of the 1988 act, may also be obtained by
accessing its Internet server (http://www.usitc.gov). The public record
for these investigations may be viewed on the Commission's electronic
docket (EDIS-ONLINE) at http://www.usitc.gov/secretary/edis.htm.
Background: Soon after the implementation of the Harmonized System
(HS) in 1988, the Harmonized System (HS) Review Subcommittee (RSC) of
the World Customs Organization (WCO) began a series of reviews of the
entire HS. The fourth review cycle begins this year, with an expected
implementation date for changes of January 2012.
The HS was established by an international Convention, which, inter
alia, provides that the System should be kept up-to-date in light of
changes in technology and patterns of inter-national trade. The
international HS nomenclature, which is maintained by the WCO, provides
a uniform structural basis for the customs tariff and statistical
nomenclatures of all major trading countries of the world, including
the United States. The Commission, the U.S. Bureau of Customs and
Border Protection and the Bureau of the Census are responsible for the
development of U.S. technical proposals concerning the HS under section
1210 of the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 (the 1988
Act) (19 U.S.C. 3010). A 1988 notice issued by the United States Trade
Representative (53 FR 45646, Nov. 10, 1988), establishes the Commission
as the lead U.S. agency in considering proposals for HS amendments that
are intended to ensure that it reflects such changes in technology and
trade.
A copy of the U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSA), which
incorporates the international Harmonized System in its overall
structure, can be downloaded at http://www.usitc.gov/tata/index.htm.
Hard copies and electronic copies of the HTSA can be found at many of
the 1,400 federal Depository Libraries located throughout the United
States and its territories; further information about these locations
can be found at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fdlp.html, or by contacting
GPO Access at the Government Printing Office, 866-512-1800.
Note that the international HS comprises the broadest levels of
categories in the HTSA, that is, the General Rules for the
Interpretation of the Nomenclature, Section and Chapter titles, Section
and Chapter legal notes, and heading and subheading texts to the six-
digit level of detail. Additional U.S. Notes, further subdivisions
(eight- and ten-digit subheadings) and statistical notes, as well as
the entire chapters 98 and 99, are national legal and statistical
detail added for the administration of the tariff and statistical
programs and are not part of the international HS review process that
is the subject of this Notice.
Request for Proposals: In accordance with the USTR notice, the
Commission is seeking proposals for specific modifications to the
Harmonized System (including the rules of
[[Page 51090]]
interpretation, section and chapter notes and the texts of the headings
and subheadings) that will further the above goals. No proposals for
changes to the national-level provisions (which include U.S. 8-digit
subheadings, statistical annotations and rates of duty) will be
considered by the Commission as a part of this review. Interested
parties, associations and government agencies should submit specific
language for proposed amendments to the Harmonized System together with
appropriate descriptive comments and, to the extent available, trade
data.
As part of this review, the Commission particularly invites
proposals concerning the following matters:
The deletion of HS headings or subheadings with low trade
volume,
The identification of new products important in
international trade,
The simplification of the HS, e.g., by the elimination of
classification provisions which are difficult to administer.
As mentioned above, no proposals for changes to the Explanatory
Notes or national-level provisions (including Additional U.S. Notes,
U.S. 8-digit subheadings, statistical annotations and rates of duty)
will be considered by the Commission as a part of this review. The
changes in the international HS that will result from this review cycle
will not necessarily affect tariff rates for products imported into the
United States; as with the first three HS review cycles, the USITC
plans to eventually develop a set of proposed HTS changes that will
align the HTS on the international HS changes, pursuant to sec. 1205 of
the 1988 Act.
This Notice is not soliciting proposals for changes to the HS
Explanatory Notes. However, requests for changes to the existing
Explanatory Notes (not arising from changes in the HS itself) may be
sent by a government directly to the Harmonized System Committee (the
parent committee to the RSC) at any time; government and private sector
parties interested in such action internationally should separately
contact the above-mentioned parties at the USITC or the following at
the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection: Myles Harmon, Director,
Commercial Rulings Division, 202-572-8860 or Gail Hamil, Director,
International Nomenclature Staff, 202-572-8813.
Written Submissions: Interested persons are invited to submit
written proposals. All submissions should be addressed to the
Secretary, United States International Trade Commission, 500 E St. SW.,
Washington, DC 20436, and should be received no later than the close of
business October 14, 2005. All written submissions must conform with
the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's Rules of Practice
and Procedure (19 CFR 201.8). Section 201.8 of the rules requires that
a signed original (or a copy designated as an original) and fourteen
(14) copies of each document be filed. In the event that confidential
treatment of the document is requested, as least four (4) additional
copies must be filed in which the confidential information must be
deleted (see the following paragraph for further information regarding
confidential business information). The Commission's rules do not
authorize filing submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or
electronic means except as permitted by section 201.8 of the rules (see
Handbook for Electronic Filing Procedures, http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/pubs/handbook_on_electronic_filing.pdf
.
Any submissions that contain confidential business information must
conform with the requirements of section 201.6 of the Commission's
Rules of Practice and Procedure (19 CFR 201.6). Section 201.6 of the
rules requires that the cover of the document and the individual pages
be clearly marked as to whether they are the ``confidential'' or ``non-
confidential'' version, and that the confidential business information
be clearly identified by means of brackets. All written submissions,
except for CBI, will be made available in the Office of the Secretary
to the Commission for inspection by interested parties. CBI received by
the Commission in this investigation will not be released to other
government agencies or the public in a manner that would reveal the
operations of the firm supplying the information.
Persons with mobility impairments who will need special assistance
in gaining access to the Commission should contact the Office of the
Secretary at 202-205-2000.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: August 23, 2005.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 05-17057 Filed 8-26-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P