19 U.S.C. § 1312 Bonded Smelting and Refining Warehouses

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-34 (published on www.congress.gov on 12/26/2023), except for [P. L. 118-31]
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 19 U.S.C. § 1312

(a) Bond; charges against bond

Any plant engaged in smelting or refining, or both, of metal-bearing materials as defined in this section may, upon the giving of satisfactory bond, be designated a bonded smelting or refining warehouse. Metal-bearing materials may be entered into a bonded smelting or refining warehouse without the payment of duties thereon and there smelted or refined, or both, together with metal-bearing materials of domestic or foreign origin. Upon arrival of imported metal-bearing materials at the warehouse they shall be sampled according to commercial methods and assayed, both under customs supervision. The bond shall be charged with a sum equal in amount to the duties which would be payable on such metal-bearing materials in their condition as imported if entered for consumption, and the bond charge shall be adjusted to reflect changes in the applicable rate of duty occurring while the imported materials are still covered by the bond.

(b) Cancellation of charges against bond

The several charges against such bond may be canceled in whole or in part-

(1) upon the exportation from the bonded warehouses which treated the metal-bearing materials, or from any other bonded smelting or refining warehouse, of a quantity of the same kind of metal contained in any product of smelting or refining of metal-bearing materials equal to the dutiable quantity contained in the imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c); except that-

(A) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to a USMCA country, as defined in section 4502 of this title, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to USMCA drawback, as defined in section 4534(a) of this title, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation; but upon the presentation, before such 61st day, of satisfactory evidence of the amount of any customs duties paid to the USMCA country on the product, the duties on the materials may be waived or reduced (subject to section 4534(e) of this title) in an amount that does not exceed the lesser of-

(i) the total amount of customs duties owed on the materials on importation into the United States, or

(ii) the total amount of customs duties paid to the USMCA country on the product, and

(B) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to Chile, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to Chile FTA drawback, as defined in section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation, except that the duties may be waived or reduced by-

(i) 100 percent during the 8-year period beginning on January 1, 2004,

(ii) 75 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2012,

(iii) 50 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2013, and

(iv) 25 percent during the 1-year period beginning on January 1, 2014, or

(2) upon payment of duties on the dutiable quantity of metal contained in the imported metal-bearing materials, or

(3) upon the transfer of the bond charges to another bonded smelting or refining warehouse by physical shipment of a quantity of the same kind of metal contained in any product of smelting or refining of metal-bearing materials equal to the dutiable quantity contained in the imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c), or

(4) upon the transfer of the bond charges to a bonded customs warehouse other than a bonded smelting or refining warehouse by physical shipment of a quantity of the same kind of metal contained in any product of smelting or refining equal to the dutiable quantity contained in the imported metal-bearing materials less wastage provided for in subsection (c), and upon withdrawal from such other warehouse for exportation or domestic consumption the provisions of this section shall apply; except that-

(A) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to a USMCA country, as defined in section 4502 of this title, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to USMCA drawback, as defined in section 4534(a) of this title, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation; but upon the presentation, before such 61st day, of satisfactory evidence of the amount of any customs duties paid to the USMCA country on the product, the duties on the materials may be waived or reduced (subject to section 4534(e) of this title) in an amount that does not exceed the lesser of-

(i) the total amount of customs duties owed on the materials on importation into the United States, or

(ii) the total amount of customs duties paid to the USMCA country on the product, and

(B) in the case of a withdrawal for exportation of such a product to Chile, if any of the imported metal-bearing materials are goods subject to Chile FTA drawback, as defined in section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, the duties on the materials shall be paid, and the charges against the bond canceled, before the 61st day after the date of exportation, except that the duties may be waived or reduced by-