President Biden issued a proclamation in late December to modify the 2022 U.S. Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS). It amends the HTSUS to confirm with the World Customs Organization’s (WCO’s) product classification updates. It also suspends trade benefits to three counties, Ethiopia, Guinea and Mali, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
The proclamation states, “Pursuant to section 506A(a)(3) of the Trade Act, I have determined that Ethiopia, Guinea, and Mali do not meet the requirements described in section 506A(a)(1) of that Act. Accordingly, I have decided to terminate the designation of Ethiopia, Guinea, and Mali as beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries for purposes of section 506A of the Trade Act, effective January 1, 2022.”
In late December, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) delayed implementation of the 2022 HTSUS which had been scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2022.
