PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Defines key words used for the softwood lumber rules. Appropriate congressional committees means the Senate Committee on Finance and the House Committee on Ways and Means. Country of export means the country (including any part of it) that the lumber is shipped from before entering the United States. Customs laws of the United States means any law or rule enforced by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Export charges means any tax, fee, or charge collected by the country of export under an international agreement with the United States. Export price means the F.O.B. value at the facility of the last primary processing for simply processed lumber, with special F.O.B. rules when lumber is remanufactured before export depending on whether the remanufacturer holds tenure rights, bought standing timber directly, or is related to someone who did; if an F.O.B. value cannot be found, use the market price in the country of export for identical goods sold at about the same time, following an order of preference based on level of trade and quantity, and using the level-of-trade rules in 19 C.F.R. 351.412(c) as of January 1, 2008. Related persons are defined by tests in the tax code (26 U.S.C. 152(a), 267(b), and 1563(a)) with “5 percent” substituted where other percent thresholds appear, and also include officers, directors, and employers. Tenure rights means rights to harvest timber from public land granted by the country of export. F.O.B. means a value that includes charges the buyer must pay, including costs to place the goods on board a conveyance, but not actual shipping charges or any export charges. HTS means the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (19 U.S.C. 1202) as in effect on January 1, 2008. Person includes individuals, partnerships, corporations, associations, organizations, business trusts, government entities, or other entities under U.S. jurisdiction. United States means the customs territory of the United States as defined in General Note 2 of the HTS.

Title 19, §1683

Customs Duties, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

In this subtitle:

(1)Appropriate congressional committees

The term “appropriate congressional committees” means the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives.

(2)Country of export

The term “country of export” means the country (including any political subdivision of the country) from which softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product is exported before entering the United States.

(3)Customs laws of the United States

The term “customs laws of the United States” means any law or regulation enforced or administered by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

(4)Export charges

The term “export charges” means any tax, charge, or other fee collected by the country from which softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product, described in section 1683b(a) of this title, is exported pursuant to an international agreement entered into by that country and the United States.

(5)Export price

(A)In general

The term “export price” means one of the following:

(i)In the case of softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product that has undergone only primary processing, the value that would be determined F.O.B. at the facility where the product underwent the last primary processing before export.

(ii)(I)In the case of softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product described in subclause (II), the value that would be determined F.O.B. at the facility where the lumber or product underwent the last primary processing.

(II)Softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product described in this subclause is lumber or a product that underwent the last remanufacturing before export by a manufacturer who—

(aa)does not hold tenure rights provided by the country of export;

(bb)did not acquire standing timber directly from the country of export; and

(cc)is not related to the person who holds tenure rights or acquired standing timber directly from the country of export.

(iii)(I)In the case of softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product described in subclause (II), the value that would be determined F.O.B. at the facility where the product underwent the last processing before export.

(II)Softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product described in this subclause is lumber or a product that undergoes the last remanufacturing before export by a manufacturer who—

(aa)holds tenure rights provided by the country of export;

(bb)acquired standing timber directly from the country of export; or

(cc)is related to a person who holds tenure rights or acquired standing timber directly from the country of export.

(B)Related persons

For purposes of this paragraph, a person is related to another person if—

(i)the person bears a relationship to such other person described in section 152(a) of title 26;

(ii)the person bears a relationship to such other person described in section 267(b) of such title, except that “5 percent” shall be substituted for “50 percent” each place it appears;

(iii)the person and such other person are part of a controlled group of corporations, as that term is defined in section 1563(a) of such title, except that “5 percent” shall be substituted for “80 percent” each place it appears;

(iv)the person is an officer or director of such other person; or

(v)the person is the employer of such other person.

(C)Tenure rights

For purposes of this paragraph, the term “tenure rights” means rights to harvest timber from public land granted by the country of export.

(D)Export price where F.O.B. value cannot be determined

(i)In general

In the case of softwood lumber or a softwood lumber product described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (A) for which an F.O.B. value cannot be determined, the export price shall be the market price for the identical lumber or product sold in an arm’s-length transaction in the country of export at approximately the same time as the exported lumber or product. The market price shall be determined in the following order of preference:

(I)The market price for the lumber or a product sold at substantially the same level of trade as the exported lumber or product but in different quantities.

(II)The market price for the lumber or a product sold at a different level of trade than the exported lumber or product but in similar quantities.

(III)The market price for the lumber or a product sold at a different level of trade than the exported lumber or product and in different quantities.

(ii)Level of trade

For purposes of clause (i), “level of trade” shall be determined in the same manner as provided under section 351.412(c) of title 19, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on January 1, 2008).

(6)F.O.B.

The term “F.O.B.” means a value consisting of all charges payable by a purchaser, including those charges incurred in the placement of merchandise on board of a conveyance for shipment, but does not include the actual shipping charges or any applicable export charges.

(7)HTS

The term “HTS” means the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (19 U.S.C. 1202) (as in effect on January 1, 2008).

(8)Person

The term “person” includes any individual, partnership, corporation, association, organization, business trust, government entity, or other entity subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

(9)United States

The term “United States” means the customs territory of the United States, as defined in General Note 2 of the HTS.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States, referred to in par. (7), is not set out in the Code. See Publication of Harmonized Tariff Schedule note set out under section 1202 of this title. Codification Another section 802 of act June 17, 1930, is classified to section 1681a of this title.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 110–246, title III, § 3301(b), June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1853, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [enacting this subtitle] shall take effect on the date that is 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [June 18, 2008].”

§1683 Definitions