Page 60 - CBM20

Spotlight on ...

THE AMERICAN

ELDORADO

Text: Alan Rhode, Co-Founder Taxmen

Eight hundred U.S. dollars. A hefty sum. That’s the aggregated retail value of goods in a

consignment within which no customs duties or sales taxes will be payable on importation
into the U.S.A. It’s called the de minimis threshold or low-value relief.

riginally set at $200, it was increased four- zero import duties and a quicker clearance process
fold in 2015. As indicated by U.S. Customs, in the U.S.
Othe “de minimis provides admission of articles
free of duty and of any tax imposed on or by reason of There are some restrictions. The de minimis threshold doesn’t
importation, but the aggregate fair retail value in the apply to these cases:
country of shipment of articles imported by one person • Goods needing inspection as a condition of release
on one day and exempted from the payment of duty (regardless of value)
shall not exceed $800”. The limit doesn’t account for • Quota-class merchandise
separate charges such as shipping or insurance fees. • Merchandise subject to Anti-Dumping Duty (ADD)
So, for example, if an EU merchant ships a parcel and/or Countervailing Duties (CVD)
to the U.S. that includes goods for an aggregated • Products regulated by the following agencies:
commercial value of $780 plus $40 worth of shipping - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
fees, this parcel will still enjoy low-value relief, with - Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS)

60