HTS Online Reference Tool

1
HTS Online Reference Tool

• David Beck, Director, TATA
• Paul Mussey , USITC Contractor
• October 16, 2008

2
HTS Online Reference Tool - Overview

• Current, accurate, and user-friendly access to
  the Harmonized Tariff Schedules of the United
  States (HTS)
• A single source for information
• For government, importers, brokers, carriers and
  the general public

3
Role of U.S. International Trade Commission

• Built and managed by the ITC, the agency with the
  legal mandate to maintain the HTS
• Hardware and programming at ITC
• Direct links from ACE to the HTS Online Reference
  Tool

4
Functionality

• HTS Online Reference Tool will provide
• Complete legal text and notes
• The most current U.S. tariff rates
• Interactive access and searches

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5
Links to CROSS system

• Direct links to classification rulings
• Users will be able to jump directly from a
  specific HTS item to the Customs Ruling Online
  Search System (CROSS) for determinations on
  product classification for that HTS item
• Users will be able to access the most current
  ruling, rather than having to continually update
  their own notations

6
Links to Chapters 98 99 via footnotes

• Direct links to footnotes
• The links will allow users to move from the
  footnote number directly to the text of the
  footnote itself, and back
• Direct links to HTS Chapters 98 99
• The links will enable a user to move from the
  footnote reference in Chapters 1-97 directly to
  the Chapter 98 or 99 provision

7
Searching and finding

• Quick searches
• By word, word combinations or HTS number
• Jump to tariff rate information
• Thesaurus capability
• Users will be able to use synonyms and common
  terms
• Thesaurus will be enriched continually to reflect
  common terminologyfor example, users may enter
  the word cars (common term) to find motor
  vehicles (HTS term)

8
New Software for Speed

• Using XML software
• Allows ITC and CBP to convert HTS quickly to
  formats which are needed for computerized
  operations at the border and elsewhere
• Allows ITC to streamline the production of the
  HTS and update for Free Trade Agreements and
  staged tariff rate reductions more quickly

9
Timeline and Demo

• Targeted implementation
• HTS Online Reference Tool functional and on line
  by the beginning of 2009
• We will demonstrate the product and then take
  your questions