U.S. CUSTOMS TO RELEASE PROPOSALS FOR REVISING IMPORT ENTRY PROCESS

   U.S. Customs plans to release its recommendations for revising the
import entry process to the industry by Friday or Monday next week.
   The agency says its recent proposal will give importers and customs
brokers the opportunity to improve and modernize the entry process. The basic entry process was left untouched by the 1993 Customs Modernization Act.
   "When we wrote the Mod Act, it was intentionally vague in certain
areas," said John A. Durant, director of commercial rulings at Customs.
"The goal was to establish the basic statutory concepts and fill in the
details later."
   Some of the areas that the revision proposal will cover are cargo
release, quantity, duty payments, entry summaries, supplemental information letters and liquidations.
   Customs says it made its own entry revision recommendations based on four months of interviews with staffers, who hear the concerns and
complaints from the industry.
   Another area that could be improved by the entry revisions is the
reconciliation prototype, which allows importers to pay duties on the
estimated value and follow up 12 to 15 months later with a more accurate figure.
   "Customs duties are tied to an entry-by-entry process," said Don Luther, program officer for Customs. "There’s no reason why duties can’t be paid in a fashion similar to paying your credit card bill."
   Some entry revisions may not be implemented until after the agency’s new system, the Automated Commercial Environment, is operational.
   Meanwhile, it will be up to industry to push for these changes. Customs hopes to hear from industry groups, such as the American Association of Exporters and Importers, Trade Support Network, National Customs Brokers and Forwarders Association of America, Joint Industry Group and the U.S. Customs Automotive Roundtable.
   Some changes will require legislative action on Capitol Hill. Customs
says it’s possible that if the industry moves fast enough, it could attach
any changes to a miscellaneous trade bill by April.
   Customs’ proposed entry revisions will be posted on the Internet at
https://www.customs.gov .