The Import Security and Fairness Act

The Import Security and Fairness Act was presented to the House of Representatives in June of 2023 with the purpose of amending a prior bill passed in 1930 in accordance with the treatment of US imports. It encompasses duty free imports and seeks to help level the playing field, lessening the burden on the U.S. government regarding revenue collection of low value imports. Since these imports deal with such low monetary value (as low as $800) dealing with such shipments was deemed not worth the effort.

Due to the mass expansion of e-commerce throughout global markets, “de minimis” provisions on US imports qualify have accounted for more than two million packages per day. Many of these imports with such low import costs have put U.S. markets at a considerable disadvantage over similar products developed here in the United States.

The bill has been introduced to the house by representatives such as Earl Blumenauer, Neal Dunn, and U.S. senators Sherrod Brown and Marco Rubio. The bill’s implications for low monetary value imports, include:  

• Prohibition of de minimis for goods from countries with non-market economies or on the USTR Watch List.
• Prohibiting goods subject to enforcement actions from using de minimis,
• Closes the de minimis loophole for offshore distribution/processing facilities.
• Requires CBP to collect additional information on all de minimis shipments and prohibits use by “bad actors.”

A civil penalty will be imposed in the amount of $5,000 for a first infraction and an additional $10,000 fine for each violation thereafter. This bill is still being processed on the House Floor and is pending oversight from the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.

If you have any questions about this or any other trade compliance related matter, please contact Allyn International at sales.allynintl.com. Allyn International provides high quality, customer-centric services, and solutions for the global marketplace. For more information, visit www.allynintl.com

Contributor: Alden Marano

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About Allyn International

Allyn International provides high quality, customer-centric services and solutions for the global marketplace. Allyn's core products include transportation management, logistics sourcing, freight forwarding, supply chain consulting, tax management and global trade compliance. Allyn clients range from small local businesses to Fortune 500 firms. Allyn conducts business in more than 20 languages and has extensive experience in both developed and emerging markets. Highly trained experts are positioned throughout North and South America, Europe and Asia. Allyn’s regional headquarters are strategically located in Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.A., Shanghai, P.R. China and Prague, Czech Republic. For more information, visit www.allynintl.com