Cargo Systems Messaging Service
CSMS # 56239703 - Clarification to the Process for the Automated Collection of Assessments by CBP on Imported Softwood Lumber Covered under the Softwood Lumber Checkoff
Beginning July 1, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began collecting assessments on imported softwood lumber covered under the Softwood Lumber Checkoff (Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order, 7 CFR Part 1217).
The current assessment rate under the Checkoff is $0.41 per thousand board feet. The assessment rate is based on a nominal board foot. Nominal board foot is defined under § 1217.4 as “a unit of measurement of softwood lumber represented by a board 12-inches long, 12-inches wide, and 1-inch thick or its cubic equivalent.”
Recent analysis by Forest Economic Advisors indicates that volumes related to certain shipments, primarily from Europe, are erroneously recorded on a net rather than nominal count (see https://slbwood.app.box.com/s/rhztci8xj0w71hb9xs03nfzumy9mm5e2). As a guide, Forest Economic Advisors has provided a net to nominal conversion table for the most common softwood lumber products shipped from Europe on page 2 of the linked bulletin.
Please be sure on your CBP entry documents that you report a nominal quantity, not a net quantity, to ensure that the assessment rate is correctly applied.
The Checkoff is a mandatory program, authorized under U.S. law that took effect in 2012. It is administered by the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB), with oversight by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under the Checkoff, assessments are collected from importers of record and U.S. manufacturers of softwood lumber. The assessments are used by the SLB for projects that promote market growth for softwood lumber products used in single and multi-family dwellings, as well as commercial construction. For more information on the Checkoff, please see https://softwoodlumberboard.org/.
For further information, please contact Maureen Pello with the Softwood Lumber Board at 971-339-4934, or via email at info@softwoodlumberboard.org; or Katie Cook with USDA at 202-617-4760 or via email at Katie.Cook@usda.gov.
|
