Committee of Participants on the Expansion of Trade in Information Technology Products - HS2012 and HS2017 amendments in relation to ITA products and model lists - Technical note by the Secretariat

HS2012 and HS2017 amendments in relation
to ITA products and MODEL lists

Technical Note by the Secretariat[1]

The list of products annexed to the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) was based on the 1996 edition of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (Harmonized System or HS).

 

In June 2007, as requested by the Chairperson of the Committee, the Secretariat prepared the model list in HS2007 (including an intermediate table in HS2002) to indicate and explain the changes that result from the introduction of the HS2007 and HS2002 in relation to the ITA, which together with a technical note, was circulated in document JOB(07)/96.[2]

 

At the Committee's meeting of 14 May 2019, the Chairperson requested the Secretariat to update the document – JOB(07)/96 to include also HS2012 and HS2017 nomenclatures.

 

In preparing the updated model lists, the Secretariat has taken into account the agreement on classification divergence for certain Attachment B products contained in the following documents:

 

(i)     G/IT/27: Decision for the classification of certain Attachment B products (August 2013); and

 

(ii)     G/IT/29: Decision for the HS2007 classification of 15 additional "Attachment B" products (May 2016).

 

In addition, the updated model lists have also taken into account the possible classifications contained in the following documents, even though they have not been formally agreed by Members:

 

(i)      G/IT/W/47 – Draft decision for the HS2007 classification of three additional "Attachment B" products; and

 

(ii)     G/IT/W/40/Suppl.4 – Divergences of classification: possible HS2007 classification for the remaining 22 "Attachment B" items.



[1] This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice to the positions of Members and to their rights and obligations under the WTO Agreement.

[2] The World Customs Organization classification opinion on set top boxes (G/IT/26/Add.2) was reflected in document JOB(07)/96.