Express Association of America: PostCom has joined with 27 other business associations to support S. 3597, introduced September 20 by Senators John Thune and Ron Wyden to raise the de minimis value, the level at which shipments entering the United States are free from tariffs, taxes or formal customs procedures. "The bill introduced by Senator Thune and Senator Wyden is a major step forward in facilitating trade and will particularly benefit small and medium U.S. enterprises, as well as individual consumers, who ship more low value items. A higher de minimis level will stimulate trade, spur the growth of business across a range of industries, and create jobs," said Michael Mullen, Executive Director of the Express Association of America. "We would like to thank the Senators for their leadership on this issue and call on their colleagues in the Senate to support their efforts toward trade facilitation and customs modernization," he added. The U.S. de minimis level has been stagnant at $200 for almost 20 years. Senators Thune and Wyden are proposing an increase to $800, the amount a U.S. citizen can bring home from a trip overseas without paying duties or going through a formal entry process. Their bill is a companion to a similar bill introduced in the House by Rep. Schock, which now has garnered the support of 142 bipartisan co-sponsors. In addition to promoting faster border clearance for low value shipments, a higher de minimis level will benefit the government as customs officers will be able to focus enforcement efforts on higher risks such as product safety and protecting intellectual property.Read more!