* IMPORTANT: This alert was updated on 12/27/21 to include the effective date. *

On December 23, 2021, the White House released a proclamation to modify the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the US (HTS) in order to implement the 5-year update to the World Custom Organization’s (WCO) global Harmonized System (HS). The recommended modifications are set to impact 350 products and product groups that are classified in various chapters of the HTSUS.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) is required by law to keep the HTSUS under continuous review and periodically recommends certain modifica·tions to the president in order to conform with any amendments made to the International Convention on the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System and the HTS.

President Biden determined that, pursuant to section 1206(a) of the 1988 Act, the proposed modifications to the HTS do not run counter to the national economic interests of the US and are in conformity with its obligations under the Convention.

The changes will go into effect beginning Thursday, January 27, 2022— thirty (30) days after the proclamation is published in the Federal Register.

Please note the following as well:

• Effective January 1, 2022, Ethiopia, Guinea, and Mali are removed from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). President Biden suspended these countries on November 2, 2021 for human rights violations.
• As a whole, the changes largely mirror those included in the ITC report sent to the president in April; see FR notice for specific details and annexes.
• To conform to other changes in the HTS, the proclamation amends tariff schedule provisions on Section 301 tariffs and on various trade agreements.

Click here to view the full FR notice, which is scheduled to be published on Tuesday, December 28, 2021.

Shapiro will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide status updates as they become available.