QUESTION: We recently sold equipment to a related supplier for a reduced rate. Most of this equipment will be used to produce product that is sold back to us. We plan on claiming the value of the assists with the first shipment of goods that will be made on each machine to keep it simple. […]
QUESTION: Would temporary storage of goods in China be considered an Assist or addition to transactional value? We will pay the vendor separately for this storage. My first thought is that it would be exempted under International freight and related services incident to the international shipment of merchandise; however would like […]
QUESTION: We are a participant of the Recon program for Valuation and have decided to apportion the total value of the assists over the first shipment. Can someone in the membership provide how to capture the first shipment? Also, currently all of our entries are flagged but are looking into flagging only certain entries […]
QUESTION: We are a US company with cloned production in two other countries. We are purchasing a shared tool from a non-US supplier. Since the demand will be pulled from three different countries, it is impossible to definitively confirm how much of an assist value to claim to US Customs. Apart from amortizing the tooling […]
QUESTION: Can anyone please advise, the best compliant way to declare engineering fees on partial shipments? We are importing an assembling machine which will be shipped during a 12 months period in more than 40 shipments with different Harmonized Tariffs each as we classify the different parts and components of the machine. I know I […]
QUESTION: If we purchase a component from a US supplier and then forward that component to an overseas vendor to add additional components to finish the product and then import the finished product back to the US, do I need to declare the cost of the US purchased component in the dutiable value? The invoice […]
QUESTION: Has the membership ever encountered instances where assists are applicable to finished goods exported intercompany or to end customers? If so, please provide examples? ========== Answer: If I read your question carefully, you are asking whether an assist is applicable to finished goods exported (but you don’t say from where). First, there are a […]
QUESTION: Our corporate Office is located in the U.S. and engineering drawings/design are being completed fully or partially by one of our sister companies in Costa Rica for manufacturing at another sister company in China. Our sister company in Costa Rica is also providing molds to the China manufacturing operation. Are the drawings/designs considered […]
QUESTION: Company A in the US creates a widget and sends to the related party in China Company B. Company B further processes the widget and it is now a product of China. Company B sends it to Vendor M in Mexico. But this is on Consignment so Vendor M doesn’t pay for it but […]
QUESTION: If raw material purchased in the US and provided to a foreign supplier free of charge, must the cost of the raw material be included in the finished product from the foreign supplier when imported in to the US? ========== Answers: Yes indeed. A good example demonstrating this is ruling H057714. Remember, CROSS and […]
QUESTION: With regard to Assists, is there a materiality basis or a minimum value to claim an Assist? ==================== ANSWERS: No ==================== There is no legal or regulatory sanctioned minimum value to claim an assist. George Tuttle III Law Offices of George R. Tuttle, A.P.C. 1100 Larkspur Landing Circle, Suite 385 Larkspur, CA 94939 […]
QUESTION: I’ve been asked to do some research regarding engineering assists for my company. I found that per TAA, 19 U.S.C. 1401a (h), an engineering assist is defined as: (A)(iv) Engineering, development, artwork, design work, and plans and sketches that are undertaken elsewhere than in the United States and are necessary for the production of […]
