[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 16, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 7500-7501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-3619]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Customs Service
19 CFR Parts 24 and 178
[T.D. 99-11]
RIN 1515-AC26
Automated Clearinghouse Credit
AGENCY: Customs Service, Treasury.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: This document adopts as a final rule interim amendments to the
Customs Regulations which provided for payments of funds to Customs by
Automated Clearinghouse (ACH) credit. Under ACH credit, a payer
transmits daily statement, deferred tax, and bill payments
electronically through a financial institution directly to a Customs
account maintained by the Department of the Treasury. ACH credit allows
the payer to exercise more control over the payment process, does not
require the disclosure of bank account information to Customs, and
expands the types of payments that may be made through ACH.
EFFECTIVE DATE: February 16, 1999.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ben Robbin, Financial Systems
Division, Financial Management Services Center, Office of Finance, U.S.
Customs Service (317-298-1520, ext. 1428).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On May 28, 1998, Customs published T.D. 98-51 in the Federal
Register (63 FR 29122) setting forth interim amendments to the Customs
Regulations to provide for the electronic transfer of funds to Customs
for commercial transactions through the Automated Clearinghouse (ACH)
credit procedure. Under ACH credit, a payer transmits daily statement,
deferred tax, and bill payments electronically through a financial
institution directly to a Customs account maintained by the Department
of the Treasury. The ACH credit procedure offers a number of advantages
when compared to the previously implemented ACH debit procedure
provided for in Sec. 24.25 of the Customs Regulations (19 CFR 24.25).
These advantages include the fact that ACH credit allows the payer to
exercise more control over the payment process, does not require the
disclosure of bank account information to the Government, expands the
types of payments that may be made through ACH, and does not require
action on the part of the Government when an individual payment is
effected.
The interim amendments contained in T.D. 98-51 involved (1) the
addition of a new Sec. 24.26 (19 CFR 24.26) to cover the ACH credit
procedure and (2) a number of consequential wording changes in
Sec. 24.25 to clarify when the references to ACH in that section
pertain only to the ACH debit procedure and not to the ACH credit
procedure of new Sec. 24.26. These interim regulatory amendments went
into effect on June 29, 1998, and the notice prescribed a public
comment period which closed on July 27, 1998.
No comments were received during the prescribed public comment
period. Accordingly, Customs believes that the interim regulatory
amendments should be adopted as a final rule without change. This
document also includes an appropriate update of the list of information
collection approvals contained in Sec. 178.2 of the Customs Regulations
(19 CFR 178.2).
Executive Order 12866
This document does not meet the criteria for a ``significant
regulatory action'' as specified in Executive Order 12866.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Pursuant to the provisions of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5
U.S.C. 601 et seq.), it is certified that the amendments will not have
a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities. ACH credit is a voluntary payment procedure that provides
increased benefits in efficiency, control, and privacy to payers who
elect to make payments to Customs by electronic funds transfer.
Accordingly, the amendments are not subject to the regulatory analysis
or other requirements of 5 U.S.C. 603 and 604.
Paperwork Reduction Act
The collection of information contained in this final rule has been
reviewed and approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3507(d))
under control number 1515-0218. An agency may not conduct or sponsor,
and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information
unless it displays a valid control number assigned by OMB.
The collection of information in this final rule is in Sec. 24.26.
This information is required in connection with an election to use the
ACH credit procedure for making electronic payments of funds to
Customs. The information will be used by the U.S. Customs Service to
ensure that payments to Customs are properly transmitted, received, and
credited. The likely respondents are business organizations including
importers, exporters and manufacturers.
The estimated average annual burden associated with the collection
of information in this final rule is .083 hours per respondent or
recordkeeper. Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden estimate
and suggestions for reducing this burden should be directed to the U.S.
Customs Service, Information Services Group, Office of Finance, 1300
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229, and to OMB,
Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the Treasury, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20503.
[[Page 7501]]
List of Subjects
19 CFR Part 24
Accounting, Claims, Customs duties and inspection, Imports, Taxes.
19 CFR Part 178
Administrative practice and procedure, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Amendments to the Regulations
For the reasons stated in the preamble, under the authority of 19
U.S.C. 66 and 1624 the interim rule amending 19 CFR Part 24 which was
published at 63 FR 29122 on May 28, 1998, is adopted as a final rule
without change, and Part 178 of the Customs Regulations (19 CFR Part
178) is amended as set forth below.
PART 178--APPROVAL OF INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUIREMENTS
1. The authority citation for Part 178 continues to read as
follows:
Authority: 5 U.S.C. 301; 19 U.S.C. 1624; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
2. Section 178.2 is amended by adding a new listing to the table in
numerical order to read as follows:
Sec. 178.2 Listing of OMB control numbers.
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OMB control
19 CFR Section Description No.
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Sec. 24.26........................ Automated 1515-0218
Clearinghouse Credit.
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Raymond W. Kelly,
Commissioner of Customs.
Approved: January 15, 1999.
John P. Simpson,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury.
[FR Doc. 99-3619 Filed 2-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4820-02-P
