Kilts and Customs Duties - An Example

[Wompet]

In a thread some months ago, there was the expressed opinion, or fact, that no duties would be charged if a package declaring "ethnic garments" were imported into the USA. Is there a US Customs Xmarks member who can verify this as true, and tell us exactly where in the code this can be found?

That's what I've been told ...

Ask Wompet, he works for customs

... by people who should know.

In a search of the internet I found a 1995 ruling by US Customs ...

"The applicable subheading for the kilt, for men, will be 6211.31.0051, Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTS), which provides for track suits, ski-suits and swimwear; other garments: other garments, men's or boys': of wool or fine animal hair: other. The general duty rate will be 16.5 percent ad valorem.

I believe the classifications are probably accurate as the two times I have paid tarrifs, and every time I have recieved a potentially tariff vulnerable item, the customs declaration either listed the items and above codes correctly or only the items, and the codes were added in customs or not added at all. I believe, however, that the tariff per centages are likely not accurate, as I know that the current tarrif for wool kilts is 17.5% instead of the above mentioned 16.5%.

The tariff appears to now be 6211.32.0551, but the schedule shows a duty of 12%.