§ 1313. Drawback and refunds

§ 1313. Drawback and refunds

(a) Articles made from imported merchandise Upon the exportation or destruction under customs supervision of articles manufactured or produced in the United States with the use of imported merchandise, provided that those articles have not been used prior to such exportation or destruction, an amount calculated pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection (l) shall be refunded as drawback, except that duties shall not be so refunded upon the exportation or destruction of flour or by-products produced from imported wheat. Where two or more products result from the manipulation of imported merchandise, the drawback shall be distributed to the several products in accordance with their relative values at the time of separation.

(b) Substitution for drawback purposes

(1) In general If imported duty-paid merchandise or merchandise classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise is used in the manufacture or production of articles within a period not to exceed 5 years from the date of importation of such imported merchandise, there shall be allowed upon the exportation, or destruction under customs supervision, of any such articles, notwithstanding the fact that none of the imported merchandise may actually have been used in the manufacture or production of the exported or destroyed articles, an amount calculated pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection (l), but only if those articles have not been used prior to such exportation or destruction.

(2) Requirements relating to transfer of merchandise

(A) Manufacturers and producers Drawback shall be allowed under paragraph (1) with respect to an article manufactured or produced using imported merchandise or other merchandise classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise only if the manufacturer or producer of the article received such imported merchandise or such other merchandise, directly or indirectly, from the importer.

(B) Exporters and destroyers Drawback shall be allowed under paragraph (1) with respect to a manufactured or produced article that is exported or destroyed only if the exporter or destroyer received that article, directly or indirectly, from the manufacturer or producer.

(C) Evidence of transfer Transfers of merchandise under subparagraph (A) and transfers of articles under subparagraph (B) may be evidenced by business records kept in the normal course of business and no additional certificates of transfer or manufacture shall be required.

(3) Submission of bill of materials or formula

(A) In general Drawback shall be allowed under paragraph (1) with respect to an article manufactured or produced using imported merchandise or other merchandise classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise only if the person making the drawback claim submits with the claim a bill of materials or formula identifying the merchandise and article by the 8-digit HTS subheading number and the quantity of the merchandise.

(B) Bill of materials and formula defined In this paragraph, the terms “bill of materials” and “formula” mean records kept in the normal course of business that identify each component incorporated into a manufactured or produced article or that identify the quantity of each element, material, chemical, mixture, or other substance incorporated into a manufactured article.

(4) Special rule for sought chemical elements

(A) In general For purposes of paragraph (1), a sought chemical element may be—

(i) considered imported merchandise, or merchandise classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise, used in the manufacture or production of an article as described in paragraph (1); and

(ii) substituted for source material containing that sought chemical element, without regard to whether the sought chemical element and the source material are classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number, and apportioned quantitatively, as appropriate.

(B) Sought chemical element defined In this paragraph, the term “sought chemical element” means an element listed in the Periodic Table of Elements that is imported into the United States or a chemical compound consisting of those elements, either separately in elemental form or contained in source material.

(c) Merchandise not conforming to sample or specifications

(1) Conditions for drawback Upon the exportation or destruction under the supervision of the Customs Service of articles or merchandise—

an amount calculated pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection (l) shall be refunded as drawback.

(A) upon which the duties have been paid,

(B) which has been entered or withdrawn for consumption,

(C) which is—

(i) not conforming to sample or specifications, shipped without the consent of the consignee, or determined to be defective as of the time of importation, or

(ii) ultimately sold at retail by the importer, or the person who received the merchandise from the importer, and for any reason returned to and accepted by the importer, or the person who received the merchandise from the importer, and

(D) which, within 5 years after the date of importation or withdrawal, as applicable, has been exported or destroyed under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection,

(2) Designation of import entries For purposes of paragraph (1)(C)(ii), drawback may be claimed by designating an entry of merchandise that was imported within 1 year before the date of exportation or destruction of the merchandise described in paragraph (1)(A) and (B) under the supervision of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The merchandise designated for drawback must be identified in the import documentation with the same eight-digit classification number and specific product identifier (such as part number, SKU, or product code) as the returned merchandise.

(3) Evidence of transfers Transfers of merchandise under paragraph (1) may be evidenced by business records kept in the normal course of business and no additional certificates of transfer shall be required.

(d) Flavoring extracts; medicinal or toilet preparations; bottled distilled spirits and wines Upon the exportation of flavoring extracts, medicinal or toilet preparations (including perfumery) manufactured or produced in the United States in part from domestic alcohol on which an internal-revenue tax has been paid, there shall be allowed a drawback equal in amount to the tax found to have been paid on the alcohol so used. Upon the exportation of bottled distilled spirits and wines manufactured or produced in the United States on which an internal-revenue tax has been paid or determined, there shall be allowed, under regulations to be prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, a drawback equal in amount to the tax found to have been paid or determined on such bottled distilled spirits and wines. In the case of distilled spirits, the preceding sentence shall not apply unless the claim for drawback is filed by the bottler or packager of the spirits and unless such spirits have been stamped or restamped, and marked, especially for export, under regulations prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.

(e) Imported salt for curing fish Imported salt in bond may be used in curing fish taken by vessels licensed to engage in the fisheries, and in curing fish on the shores of the navigable waters of the United States, whether such fish are taken by licensed or unlicensed vessels, and upon proof that the salt has been used for either of such purposes, the duties on the same shall be remitted.

(f) Exportation of meats cured with imported salt Upon the exportation of meats, whether packed or smoked, which have been cured in the United States with imported salt, there shall be refunded, upon satisfactory proof that such meats have been cured with imported salt, the duties paid on the salt so used in curing such exported meats, in amounts not less than $100.

(g) Materials for construction and equipment of vessels built for foreigners The provisions of this section shall apply to materials imported and used in the construction and equipment of vessels built for foreign account and ownership, or for the government of any foreign country, notwithstanding that such vessels may not within the strict meaning of the term be articles exported.

(h) Jet aircraft engines Upon the exportation of jet aircraft engines manufactured or produced abroad that have been overhauled, repaired, rebuilt, or reconditioned in the United States with the use of imported merchandise, including parts, there shall be refunded, upon satisfactory proof that such imported merchandise has been so used, the duties which have been paid thereon, in amounts not less than $100.

(i) Proof of exportation A person claiming drawback under this section based on the exportation of an article shall provide proof of the exportation of the article. Such proof of exportation—

(1) shall establish fully the date and fact of exportation and the identity of the exporter; and

(2) may be established through the use of records kept in the normal course of business or through an electronic export system of the United States Government, as determined by the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

(j) Unused merchandise drawback

(1) If imported merchandise, on which was paid any duty, tax, or fee imposed under Federal law upon entry or importation—

then upon such exportation or destruction an amount calculated pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection (l) shall be refunded as drawback. The exporter (or destroyer) has the right to claim drawback under this paragraph, but may endorse such right to the importer or any intermediate party.

(A) is, before the close of the 5-year period beginning on the date of importation and before the drawback claim is filed—

(i) exported, or

(ii) destroyed under customs supervision; and

(B) is not used within the United States before such exportation or destruction;

(2) Subject to paragraphs (4), (5), and (6), if there is, with respect to imported merchandise on which was paid any duty, tax, or fee imposed under Federal law upon entry or importation, any other merchandise (whether imported or domestic), that—

then, notwithstanding any other provision of law, upon the exportation or destruction of such other merchandise an amount calculated pursuant to regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury under subsection (l) shall be refunded as drawback. Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), drawback shall be allowed under this paragraph with respect to wine if the imported wine and the exported wine are of the same color and the price variation between the imported wine and the exported wine does not exceed 50 percent. Transfers of merchandise may be evidenced by business records kept in the normal course of business and no additional certificates of transfer shall be required.

(A) is classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise;

(B) is, before the close of the 5-year period beginning on the date of importation of the imported merchandise and before the drawback claim is filed, either exported or destroyed under customs supervision; and

(C) before such exportation or destruction—

(i) is not used within the United States, and

(ii) is in the possession of, including ownership while in bailment, in leased facilities, in transit to, or in any other manner under the operational control of, the party claiming drawback under this paragraph, if that party—

(I) is the importer of the imported merchandise, or

(II) received the imported merchandise, other merchandise classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise, or any combination of such imported merchandise and such other merchandise, directly or indirectly from the person who imported and paid any duties, taxes, and fees imposed under Federal law upon importation or entry and due on the imported merchandise (and any such transferred merchandise, regardless of its origin, will be treated as the imported merchandise and any retained merchandise will be treated as domestic merchandise);

(3) The performing of any operation or combination of operations (including, but not limited to, testing, cleaning, repacking, inspecting, sorting, refurbishing, freezing, blending, repairing, reworking, cutting, slitting, adjusting, replacing components, relabeling, disassembling, and unpacking), not amounting to manufacture or production for drawback purposes under the preceding provisions of this section on—

shall not be treated as a use of that merchandise for purposes of applying paragraph (1)(B) or (2)(C).

(A) the imported merchandise itself in cases to which paragraph (1) applies, or

(B) merchandise classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as such imported merchandise in cases to which paragraph (2) applies,

(4)

(A)

(i) Effective upon the entry into force of the USMCA, the exportation to a USMCA country of merchandise that is fungible with and substituted for imported merchandise, other than merchandise described in paragraphs (1) through (8) of section 4534(a) of this title, shall not constitute an exportation for purposes of paragraph (2).

(ii) In this subparagraph, the terms “USMCA” and “USMCA country” have the meanings given those terms in section 4502 of this title.

(B) Beginning on January 1, 2015, the exportation to Chile of merchandise that is fungible with and substituted for imported merchandise, other than merchandise described in paragraphs (1) through (5) of section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act, shall not constitute an exportation for purposes of paragraph (2). The preceding sentence shall not be construed to permit the substitution of unused drawback under paragraph (2) of this subsection with respect to merchandise described in paragraph (2) of section 203(a) of the United States-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act.

(5)

(A) For purposes of paragraph (2) and except as provided in subparagraph (B), merchandise may not be substituted for imported merchandise for drawback purposes based on the 8-digit HTS subheading number if the article description for the 8-digit HTS subheading number under which the imported merchandise is classified begins with the term “other”.

(B) In cases described in subparagraph (A), merchandise may be substituted for imported merchandise for drawback purposes if—

(i) the other merchandise and such imported merchandise are classifiable under the same 10-digit HTS statistical reporting number; and

(ii) the article description for that 10-digit HTS statistical reporting number does not begin with the term “other”.

(6)

(A) For purposes of paragraph (2), a drawback claimant may use the first 8 digits of the 10-digit Schedule B number for merchandise or an article to determine if the merchandise or article is classifiable under the same 8-digit HTS subheading number as the imported merchandise, without regard to whether the Schedule B number corresponds to more than one 8-digit HTS subheading number.

(B) In this paragraph, the term “Schedule B” means the Department of Commerce Schedule B, Statistical Classification of Domestic and Foreign Commodities Exported from the United States.

(k) Liability for drawback claims

(1) In general Any person making a claim for drawback under this section shall be liable for the full amount of the drawback claimed.

(2) Liability of importers An importer shall be liable for any drawback claim made by another person with respect to merchandise imported by the importer in an amount equal to the lesser of—

(A) the amount of duties, taxes, and fees that the person claimed with respect to the imported merchandise; or

(B) the amount of duties, taxes, and fees that the importer authorized the other person to claim with respect to the imported merchandise.

(3) Joint and several liability Persons described in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall be jointly and severally liable for the amount described in paragraph (2).

(l) Regulations

(1) In general Allowance of the privileges provided for in this section shall be subject to compliance with such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury shall prescribe.

(2) Calculation of drawback

(A) In general Not later than the date that is 2 years after February 24, 2016, the Secretary shall prescribe regulations for determining the calculation of amounts refunded as drawback under this section.

(B) Claims with respect to unused merchandise The regulations required by subparagraph (A) for determining the calculation of amounts refunded as drawback under this section shall provide for a refund of equal to 99 percent of the duties, taxes, and fees paid on the imported merchandise, which were imposed under Federal law upon entry or importation of the imported merchandise, and may require the claim to be based upon the average per unit duties, taxes, and fees as reported on the entry summary line item or, if not reported on the entry summary line item, as otherwise allocated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, except that where there is substitution of the merchandise, then—

(i) in the case of an article that is exported, the amount of the refund shall be equal to 99 percent of the lesser of—

(I) the amount of duties, taxes, and fees paid with respect to the imported merchandise; or

(II) the amount of duties, taxes, and fees that would apply to the exported article if the exported article were imported; and

(ii) in the case of an article that is destroyed, the amount of the refund shall be an amount that is—

(I) equal to 99 percent of the lesser of—

(aa) the amount of duties, taxes, and fees paid with respect to the imported merchandise; and

(bb) the amount of duties, taxes, and fees that would apply to the destroyed article if the destroyed article were imported; and

(II) reduced by the value of materials recovered during destruction as provided in subsection (x).

(C) Claims with respect to manufactured articles into which imported or substitute merchandise is incorporated The regulations required by subparagraph (A) for determining the calculation of amounts refunded as drawback under this section shall provide for a refund of equal to 99 percent of the duties, taxes, and fees paid on the imported merchandise incorporated into an article that is exported or destroyed, which were imposed under Federal law upon entry or importation of the imported merchandise incorporated into an article that is exported or destroyed, and may require the claim to be based upon the average per unit duties, taxes, and fees as reported on the entry summary line item, or if not reported on the entry summary line item, as otherwise allocated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, except that where there is substitution of the imported merchandise, then—