Court of International Trade Ruling Provides Tariff Relief for Cell Culture Bioreactors
By Curt Dombek and Mark Jensen
A recent ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade has the potential to reduce customs duties significantly for some biotechnology companies. In Applikon Biotechnology Inc. v. United States, 07-364 (Ct. Int’l Trade Dec. 12, 2011), the court changed the tariff classification of Cell Culture Bioreactors from heading 8419, “machinery…for the treatment of materials by a process involving a change of temperature”, to heading 8479, “machines…having individual functions, not specified or included elsewhere in this chapter; parts thereof.” The change resulted in a zero rate of duty instead of the 4.2% rate that had previously been imposed under the classification given by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”).
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