CUSTOMS TO FORM COBRA FEES ADVISORY COMMITTEE

CUSTOMS TO FORM COBRA FEES ADVISORY COMMITTEE       U.S. Customs is preparing to develop a COBRA Fees Advisory Committee.
      Customs is authorized to create the committee under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) of 1985, which was amended by the 1999 Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act.
      The purpose of the committee is to analyze how the COBRA fees are applied to the industry.
      Customs levies the COBRA fees to help cover its inspection costs. The    agency collected about $274 million in COBRA fees in fiscal 1999,    three-quarters of which were generated from ocean and airline passengers. The rest was generated from inspections of railcars, trucks, cargo ships, dutiable mail, and small boats and aircraft. Last year’s COBRA also included about $367,000 in customs broker permit fees.
      Customs says its COBRA fees, which had been increasing by about 10 percent a year, fell 18 percent last year. The improved economic outlook in Europe and Asia in 2000 is expected to increase COBRA collections.
      The committee will consist of eight industry members from air and ocean transport sectors. It will be headed by the deputy commissioner of Customs, who will receive input from the agency’s Office of Field Operations and Office of Finance. The committee will meet twice annually in Washington.
      Customs is accepting applications from the industry to join the COBRA Fees Advisory Committee until March 9. For more information, contact Richard Coleman of Customs’ Trade Compliance Team at 202-927-0563.