RESTRAINT LEVEL:
A notice entitled “Tuna – Tariff Rate Quota” published in the Federal Register on August 29, 2018 announced the 2018 restraint limit for tuna. The quota restraint limit for 2018 is 13,951,961 kilograms.
The quota on tuna oversubscribed at opening moment on January 2, 2018. All entry summaries and/or warehouse withdrawals of tuna presented 12:00 a.m. (midnight) through 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern Standard Time (EST) will be prorated as follows: .8584065 or 85.84065 percent of the presented quantity shall be liquidated at the in-quota (low) rate (HTS 1604.14.22/6%). Quantities should be rounded to the nearest whole number as appropriate.
Any entry summaries and/or warehouse withdrawals presented after 12:00 p.m. EST, January 2, 2018, or its equivalent in other time zones, shall be liquidated at the over-quota (high) rate (HTS 1604.14.30/12.5%).
REPORTING INSTRUCTIONS:
To facilitate the internal processing of shipments, HQ Quota will distribute to ports of entry a Tuna Quota Entry Summary Report in excel spreadsheet format. This report lists all tuna entries presented between 12:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. on January 2, 2018, with the low rate (6%) prorated amount per line highlighted in yellow.
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS:
It will be the responsibility of Port or Center personnel to ensure the quota is reported properly for entries containing tuna. The Port or Center is also responsible for processing the liquidation to generate the importer refund if necessary.
Broker/Filers are advised to file a claim (i.e., Post Summary Correction or protest to request duty refund) if the entry summary is liquidated in error.
DISTRIBUTION:
Please ensure that this notice is passed to all port directors, assistant port directors (trade), import specialists, entry specialists, CBP officers, and other interested parties, such as brokers and importers.
Questions from the importing community regarding this electronic message should be referred to the local CBP port.