CUSTOMS PUBLISHES LIST OF FIRMS VIOLATING TEXTILE SHIPPING RULES

CUSTOMS PUBLISHES LIST OF FIRMS VIOLATING TEXTILE SHIPPING RULES    U.S. Customs has published its latest list of overseas firms that have violated the agency’s textile transshipment and country of origin rules.
   The list, which is released semiannually under the auspices of the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreements Act and section 592A of the 1930 Tariff Act, includes 24 firms that have been assessed penalty claims by Customs for violations.
   The violations range from false documentation and counterfeit visas to wrong packaging and fraudulent product labels to evade quotas. A firm on the list may appeal to the Treasury Department to have its name removed from the list. However, it must be proven that the firm has committed no other violations for at least three years.
   Customs is also soliciting information regarding the whereabouts of 26 firms concerning alleged violations of its import rules.
   The agency says that it’s the U.S. importer’s responsibility to make sure it’s aware of the list and to exercise “reasonable care” when dealing with possible violators of U.S. textile transshipment and country of origin rules. The list, which is current from Oct. 1 to March 30, 2001, is available on the Internet at https://frwebgate3.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/waisgate.cgi?WAISdocID=723111823+10+0+0&WAISaction=retrieve.