[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 17 (Monday, January 27, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3941-3942]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-1893]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

Customs Service


Non-ABI Processing of Refunds Under the Generalized System of 
Preferences

AGENCY: Customs Service, Treasury.

ACTION: General notice.

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SUMMARY: This document gives notice that Customs has completed the 
Automated Broker Interface (ABI) processing of certain retroactively-
eligible Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) duty refund claims--
for the period July 31, 1995, through September 30, 1996--and advises 
those ABI filers that did not receive a duty refund to contact in 
writing the port director of the port where the GSP-eligible goods were 
entered or withdrawn.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 27, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general operational aspects: John 
Pierce, Office of Trade Agreements, (202-927-1249).
    For information on specific refunds: The Customs port office where 
the subject merchandise was entered or withdrawn.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) is a renewable, 
preferential trade program that allows the products of many developing 
countries to enter the United States free of duty. On July 31, 1995, 
continued authority for the GSP program lapsed, and it was not until 
August 20, 1996, that the entry of eligible merchandise under 
provisions of the GSP was again authorized until May 31, 1997, pursuant 
to provisions contained in the GSP Renewal Act of 1996 (the 1996 Act, 
Pub.L. 104-188, 110 Stat. 1755, at 110 Stat. 1917). The 1996 Act 
contained certain retroactive applications for the processing of 
articles entered after July 31, 1995, and before October 1, 1996; such 
entries were to be liquidated or reliquidated and the deposit of 
estimated duties refunded with interest, provided that a request for 
liquidation or reliquidation was filed with Customs by February 16, 
1997, i.e., within 180 days after the date of the 1996 Act's enactment, 
that contained sufficient information to enable Customs to locate the 
entry or to reconstruct the entry if it cannot be located. See, Federal 
Register notice of Friday, September 20, 1996 (61 FR 49528).
    In anticipation of the 1995 lapse of authority for continued GSP 
processing of eligible merchandise, Customs

[[Page 3942]]

published a general notice in the Federal Register on Wednesday, July 
5, 1995 (60 FR 35103), which advised that estimated duties would have 
to be deposited on imported merchandise which was entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption after July 31, 1995. Since it was 
expected that the GSP would be renewed with retroactive effect, Customs 
developed a mechanism to facilitate refunds: it was explained that 
filers who file entry summaries through the Automated Broker Interface 
(ABI) could automatically request a refund of the duty deposited by 
using the Special Program Indicator (SPI) for the GSP (the letter 
``A'') on the entry summary documentation. Such ABI filers were advised 
that if they followed these procedures, they would not have to request 
a refund in writing if the GSP were to be renewed with retroactive 
effect.
    Entries subject to the above procedure were liquidated with refunds 
plus interest on October 4th, 18th, and 25th and November 1st of 1996 
and checks were issued. Lists of those entries that were filed in 
accordance with the published procedures, but which were not processed 
on one of the dates indicted above, were sent to each port for issuance 
of refunds.

Outstanding Claims

    Filers who followed the published ABI procedures should have 
received their refunds. Such persons who have not yet received their 
refunds should write a letter to the port director of the port where 
the goods were entered or withdrawn. The letter may cover either single 
entry summaries or all entry summaries filed by an individual filer at 
a single port and should include the following information:
    (1) A request for a refund as provided for in the 1996 Act;
    (2) The entry numbers and line items for which refunds need to be 
issued; and
    (3) The amount to be refunded for each line item and the total 
amount owed for all entries.
    This procedure should also be used by anyone who did not request an 
automatic refund in accordance with the GSP program procedure published 
in the Federal Register on July 5, 1995. All requests must be filed on 
or before February 16, 1997.

    Approved: January 22, 1997.
Audrey Adams,
Acting Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations.
[FR Doc. 97-1893 Filed 1-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4820-02-P