Analysis
HTS 9106.90.20 covers other: parking meters under heading 9106 (time of day recording apparatus and apparatus for measuring, recording or otherwise…).
The general rate is 36¢ each + 5.6% + 2¢/jewel, a specific or compound duty rather than a simple percentage, so the effective burden depends on the unit value of the goods: cheap goods pay proportionally more than expensive ones. Importers usually convert it to an ad valorem equivalent to compare it with other lines.
Goods that qualify under GSP, the Australia FTA, the Bahrain FTA, the Chile FTA, the Colombia TPA, and 12 others can enter duty-free instead of paying 36¢ each + 5.6% + 2¢/jewel. It is also eligible under GSP, the developing-country programme, which Congress has to renew; check whether GSP is in force on the entry date.
Census statistics map these goods to NAICS 334514 (Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing), an industry of 156 US establishments employing 11,939 people. That is the industry code a US manufacturer of the same product would normally use.
Neighbouring lines
| Line | Description | General rate |
|---|---|---|
| 9106.90.40 | Time locks valued over $10 each | 36¢ each + 5.6% + 2¢/jewel |
| 9106.90.55 | With opto-electronic display only | 3.9% on the apparatus + 5.3% on the battery |
| 9106.90.65 | Apparatus for measuring, recording, or otherwise indicating intervals of time, with clock or watch movements, battery powered: other | 15¢ each + 2.3% + 0.8¢/jewel |
| 9106.90.75 | Apparatus for measuring, recording or otherwise indicating intervals of time, with clock or watch movements, AC powered and with opto-electronic display only | 3.9% |
| 9106.90.85 | Other: other | 15¢ each + 2.3% + 0.8¢/jewel |