House committee proposes hike in vessel tonnage duties

House committee proposes hike in vessel tonnage duties

House committee proposes hike in vessel tonnage duties

   The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has proposed to increase the vessel tonnage duties on ships calling at U.S. ports.
   The tonnage duties are fees imposed on the cargo-carrying capacity of vessels that enter the United States from any overseas port, or depart from and return to a U.S. port. Such duties are assessed whether a ship is loaded or empty.
   The committee's proposal would raise the current fee from 2 cents per ton to 4.5 cents a ton ' not to exceed 22.5 cents per ton in a single year ' on ships arriving from a foreign port in North America, Central America, the West Indian islands, and the Bahamas.
   The duty for a vessel arriving from any other foreign port would increase from the current 6 cents per ton to 13.5 cents per ton, not to exceed 67.5 cents per ton in a single y