The Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) of 2018 was signed into law on September 13, 2018. It temporarily reduces or suspends duty rates for imports of certain products approved by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC).
Approved products are eligible for duty reductions from October 13, 2018 through December 31, 2020.
MTBs are used for ‘non-controversial’ or ‘non-competitive’ products that are ‘revenue neutral’ (meaning not more than $500,000 in duty per year over three years).
Companies had to submit a petition to USITC for review when applying for a MTB duty reduction or suspension. The USITC issued a report of approved petitions, which was sent to the House Ways and Means Committee, and Senate Committee on Finance, to compile a MTB implementing the duty reductions and suspensions.
To enter subject goods, a Heading 9902 U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (USHTS) number must be entered, along with the Chapter 1-97 USHTS.
Since the MTB is product specific, not all products entered under a particular USHTS number are eligible for this reduced duty treatment.
Note: If a MTB approved product is of Chinese origin, and is subject to Section 301 duties, the Section 301 duties are not reduced in any way. The MTB reduced duty treatment would only be to the Chapter 1-97 duties.
If you have any questions regarding the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, Livingston can help! Please contact your Livingston account manager, or our U.S. Regulatory Affairs Group at usregaffairs@livingstonintl.com