Communications Litigation Today was a service of Warren Communications News.

ITC Issues Final Report on Proposed HTS Changes for January 1, 2007 (Part XXVII - HTS Chapter 85 - Part C)

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a final report to the President in connection with its investigation of proposed modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) that are expected to take effect on January 1, 2007.

This final report, entitled, Proposed Modifications to the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the U.S., is part of ITC investigation number 1205-6 which was instituted in September 2004, in conjunction with the third review cycle of the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS).

This is Part XXVII of a multi-part series of summaries on the ITC's final report. Part XXVII highlights, in part, the proposed changes to HTS Chapter 85 as set forth in Appendix B. Due to the number of proposed changes to Chapter 85; this is Part C of a multi-part series of summaries for Chapter 85. See ITC report for duty rates. See future issues of ITT for additional summaries.

Proposed Changes to HTS Chapter 85 (Part C)

Appendix B of the ITC final report sets forth the following proposed changes for HTS Chapter 85 (partial list; see report for complete details):

Chapter 85:Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television image and sound recorders and reproducers, and parts and accessories of such articles

  1. 9.10.00 through 8509.30.00 would be deleted.
  2. 9.80.00 would be superseded by the following: 8509.80, 8509.80.10, 8509.80.20 and 8509.80.50
  3. 9.90.05 and 8509.90.15 would be deleted
  4. 4.30 through 8514.30.80 would be superseded by the following: 8514.30.00
  5. 5.90.10 and 8515.90.30 and the superior text immediately preceding 8515.90.10 would be superseded by the following: 8515.90.30
  6. 7 would have a new heading description that reads as "Telephone sets, including telephones for cellular networks or for other wireless networks; other apparatus for the transmission or reception of voice, images or other data, including apparatus for communication in a wired or wireless network (such as a local or wide area network), other than transmission or reception apparatus of heading 8443, 8525, 8527 or 8528; parts thereof:"
  7. 7.11.00 through 8517.90.66 would be superseded by the following: 8517.11.00, 8517.12.00, 8517.18.00, 8517.61.00, 8517.62.00, 8517.69.00 and 8517.70.00
  8. 9 would have a new heading description that reads as "Sound recording or reproducing apparatus"
  9. 0 and the respective subheadings of 8519 and 8520 would be superseded by the following: 8519, 8519.20.00, 8519.30, 8519.30.10, 8519.30.20, 8519.50.00, 8519.81, 8519.81.10, 8519.81.20, 8519.81.25, 8519.81.30, 8519.81.40, 8519.89, 8519.89.10, 8519.89.20 and 8519.89.30

The superior text immediately preceding subheading 8522.90.25 would be superseded by the following:

"Assemblies and subassemblies of articles provided for in subheading 8519.81.40, consisting of two or more pieces fastened or joined together:"

  1. 3 would have a new heading description that reads as "Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, "smart cards" and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, but excluding products of Chapter 37:"
  2. 3.11.00 through 8523.90.00, 8524 and subheadings 8524.10.00 through 8524.99.40 would be superseded by the following: 8523.21.00, 8523.29, 8523.29.10, 8523.29.20, 8523.29.30, 8523.29.40, 8523.29.50, 8523.29.60, 8523.29.70, 8523.29.80, 8523.29.90, 8523.40, 8523.40.10, 8523.40.20, 8523.40.30, 8523.40.40, 8523.40.50, 8523.51.00, 8523.52.00, 8523.59.00, 8523.80, 8523.80.10 and 8523.80.20
  3. 5 would have a new heading description that reads as "Transmission apparatus for radio-broadcasting or television, whether or not incorporating reception apparatus or sound recording or reproducing apparatus; television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders."
  4. 5.10 through 8525.40.80 would be superseded by the following: 8525.50, 8525.50.10, 8525.50.30, 8525.50.70, 8525.60, 8525.60.10, 8525.60.20, 8525.80, 8525.80.10, 8525.80.20 and 8525.80.30

(See ITT's Online Archives or 06/08/06, 06/09/06, 06/13/06, 06/15/06, 06/16/06, 06/19/06, 06/20/06, 06/21/06, 06/22/06, 06/23/06, 06/26/06, 06/27/06, 06/28/06, 06/29/06, 06/30/06, 07/06/06, 07/24/06, 07/26/06, 07/27/06, 07/28/06, 07/31/06, 08/04/06, 08/14/06, 08/31/06, 09/14/06, 09/19/06, and 09/27/06 news, 06060815, 06060915, 06061320, 06061510, 06061620, 06061920, 06062020, 06062120, 06062230, 06062330, 06062630, 06062730, 06062820, 06062910, 06063015, 06070625, 06072415, 06072615, 06072820, 06073120, 06080430, 06081425, 06083115, 06091415, 06091920, and 09062735, for Parts I-XXVI of BP summaries of the ITC's final report on these proposed changes. See ITT's Online Archives or 07/21/06 news, 06072105, for BP Addendum to Chapters 1-63. See ITT's Online Archives or 04/25/05 and 04/26/05 news, 05042505 and 05042610, for Parts I and II of BP summary on the ITC'spreliminary report.

See ITT's Online Archives or 08/30/05 news, 05083005, for BP summary of ITC's request for proposals to amend the international HS in 2012.)

ITC Final Report, including duty rates (Inv. No. 1205-6 (Final), USITC Publication 3851, dated April 2006) available at http://hotdocs.usitc.gov/docs/tata/hts/Pub3851.pdf