Complete Official 2015 HTS Now Available

Complete Official 2015 HTS Now Available

The updated official 2015 Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), which is called the 2015 Basic HTS, is now available on the USITC web site.

Although a preliminary official 2015 edition of the HTS, updated as of January 1, 2015, was released in late December, that version did not include all changes for 2015.  On December 30, 2014, the President proclaimed changes to the HTS that could not take effect formally until 30 days after they were published in the Federal Register.

The 2015 Basic HTS includes:

• changes proclaimed by the President on December 30, 2014, and effective as of January 29, 2015;

• statistical changes approved by the Committee for Statistical Annotation of the Tariff Schedules (also known as the "484(f) Committee,” which analyzes and evaluates petitions requesting changes in HTS and Schedule B statistical reporting), effective as of July 1, 2014, and January 1, 2015;

• staged reductions in preferential duty rates applicable under existing (already proclaimed) free trade agreements and effective as of January 1, 2015; and

• cumulative changes that took effect during calendar year 2014 as reflected in the on-line HTS available on the USITC website (see the Change Record, which includes a record of files reposted since January 1, 2015).

Users should note that the 2015 HTS reflects certain provisions or special duty codes which are not currently in effect but may be considered for renewal.  These include provisions or codes for the GSP, which expired on July 31, 2013, and temporary duty suspensions or reductions, which expired on December 31, 2012, or December 31, 2014.

The printed version of the 2015 Basic HTS will be available within a few weeks and can be ordered from the Government Publishing Office.