January 31, 2007
 

The following is a news release issued by US Customs and Border Protection on 29 January 2007.
 

On October 22, 2004 the President signed the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108-357). Section 892 of the Act amended Title 19 United States Code 58c to renew the fees provided under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), which would have otherwise expired March 1, 2005, and to allow the Secretary of the Treasury to increase such fees by an amount not to exceed 10 percent in the period beginning fiscal year 2006 through the period for which the fees are authorized by law. It is noted that the law specifically mentions the Secretary of the Treasury, even though U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is now a component agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
 

Regulations concerning user fees, among other customs revenue functions, were retained by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to Treasury Department Order No. 100-16.
 

CBP is increasing the fees by the amounts authorized so that they more accurately reflect the actual costs of providing the services for which they are charged. On April 24, 2006, CBP published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register (71 FR 20922) proposing to amend the regulations in accordance with the current statutory provisions by increasing the fees for: (1) customs services provided in connection with the arrival of certain commercial vessels, commercial trucks, railroad cars, private aircraft and private vessels, passengers aboard commercial aircraft and commercial vessels, and barges or other bulk carrier arrivals, (2) each item of dutiable mail for which a customs officer prepares documentation, and (3) annual customs brokers permits. The comment period ended on May 24, 2006.
 

CBP published Final Rule 72 FR 3730 on January 26, 2007 advising of the fee increases. The new fee rates will be effective on April 1, 2007.
 

The summary of new fee rates is found on the CBP web site, at:
 

http://www.customs.gov/xp/cgov/import/carriers/fees_increase/