Publications

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The Senate Finance Committee has announced a process for compiling a Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) before the end of the year.

The MTB is a compilation of individual bills temporarily reducing or eliminating duties on a variety of imported goods, from chemicals to snowboard boots to electronic equipment. For example, if a product is normally subject to a 20 percent duty upon import, an MTB duty break could reduce that duty to a lower number or eliminate it entirely for the next three years.

A bill for duty relief will be included in the MTB only if it is non-controversial – that is, if it encounters no opposition from domestic industry – and if the Treasury will not lose more than $500,000 in duties.

The MTB currently in force was passed in 2006, and the duty breaks it granted are set to expire on December 31, 2009. If the 2009 MTB is passed, existing duty breaks could be extended through December 31, 2012, and additional products could be granted duty relief.

Congress is seeking to move rapidly on this year’s MTB after a process started in 2008 in the House of Representatives stalled. While the House process is now closed to new bills, importers and industry associations seeking to extend existing duty breaks or be granted new duty breaks may look to the Senate. Senators must submit all bills by October 30, so quick action is essential.

For more information on taking action on the 2009 Miscellaneous Bill within this short timeframe, please contact:

Kate Mueller

Steve Phillips

Shaun Corette

David Weiss