Opportunity to Add or Remove Goods and Countries to/from GSP Duty-Free Treatment

With the recent reauthorization of the Generalized System of Preferences, importers, foreign governments and others again have an opportunity to petition the U.S. government for changes in GSP coverage. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative has initiated its annual review of the products and countries eligible for duty-free treatment under GSP and is accepting petitions seeking to add, preserve or remove GSP benefits.

Product Review. Interested parties, including foreign governments, may submit petitions to:

– designate additional articles as eligible for GSP benefits, including when imported only from (a) least-developed beneficiary developing countries or (b) beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act;
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– withdraw, suspend or limit the application of GSP duty-free treatment with respect to any article; and

– otherwise modify GSP coverage.

Such petitions are due by Oct. 16 and must include a detailed description of the product and the eight-digit Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States subheading under which it is classified.

Country Practices Review. Any interested party may submit a petition to:

– review the GSP eligibility of any beneficiary developing country with respect to any of the GSP designation criteria (petitions due by Oct. 16); or

– waive the 2015 competitive need limitation for individual beneficiary developing countries with respect to specific articles that would otherwise be removed from GSP eligibility (petitions due by Nov. 23).