News and Media
23/11/2011
WCO-Recommended HTS Changes Scheduled For January 1, 2012 Listed
The Proclamation that will affect the USHTS tariff is currently pending Presidential signature. Once signed, it will be published in the Federal Register and will take effect on January 1, 2012 or 30 days after publication, whichever date is later. A list of these tariff changes, which affect many products, is provided below.
According to the International Trade Commission, as required by law1, these changes are required to be “substantially rate neutral.” As a result, any modification that would change a rate of duty must be consequent to, or necessitated by, the WCO- recommended nomenclature changes.
54 chapters affected. WCO officials have stated that there were a total of 225 amendments (affecting 5,205 tariff numbers) for the 2012 international HS. For the U.S. HTS, the following chapters are affected by the 2012 WCO-recommended changes:
1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, 11, 27, 28, 29, 30, 37, 38, 41, 42, 44, 47, 48, 56, 58, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 68, 71, 73, 74, 76, 82, 84, 85, 87, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98, and 99.
Below are a few items of particular note.
Diapers, biodiesel, batteries. The 2012 HS also creates a new heading for hygiene absorbent products, such as infant diapers, adult incontinence products, feminine sanitary products, etc. Currently, these products are classifiable in the international HS under headings 48.18, 56.01, 61.11 or 62.09 according to their constituent materials. However, as of January 1, 2012, these hygiene absorbent products, of any material, will fall in the 2012 international HS under heading 96.19.
According to the ITC's 2010, amendments of particular economic and technological importance include those providing separate identification in the international HS for biodiesel fuels, nickel-metal hydride batteries (used in hybrid motor vehicles), and lithium-ion batteries (used to power consumer electronics products).
COMPILED LIST OF HTS CHANGES
The below link includes compilation of the tariff number and note changes, along with associated explanatory language in the ITC’s 2010 report on the 2012 WCO-recommended HTS changes.
Note that the 2010 ITC report, available here, also lists the associated duty rates for the new tariff numbers.
