CBP releases trade strategy document
In fiscal year 2008, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency processed imports worth $2.2 trillion and collected $32 billion in revenue; these figures are only going to grow
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) commissioner W. Ralph Basham announced the publication of the CBP Trade Strategy at the annual CBP Trade Symposium in Washington, D.C. The trade strategy is the first published document that explains how CBP will accomplish its mission of facilitating legitimate trade. “The Trade Strategy complements our national strategies for gaining operational control of the borders at and between the ports of entry. It will guide our efforts toward a system that is swift, safe and secure for legitimate imports entering the U.S. marketplace.”
The CBP Trade Strategy covers the next five years, when the volume of imports and the complexity of trade laws are expected to grow. In fiscal year 2008, CBP processed imports worth $2.2 trillion and collected $32 billion in revenue. “In the face of this explosion in trade, it’s imperative that we have a strategy focused on achieving the balance between trade and security issues. A strategy that is built on priority trade issues and guides our trade mission in the field,” said Basham.
The four major goals of the trade strategy are to:
- Facilitate legitimate trade and ensure compliance
- Enforce U.S. trade laws and collect accurate revenue
- Advance national and economic security
- Intensify modernization of CBP’s trade processes
The agency said that the Trade Strategy reflects CBP’s layered approach to trade facilitation and enforcement, which expands pre-entry and post-release compliance verification programs to reduce unnecessary delays for legitimate imports at the borders. Speaking to the trade at the symposium, Basham said, “Many of you in this room have contributed to it. This strategy is forward looking and brings together all our trade priorities in one document. So that we-CBP-and you, the trade-know where we are going-and we are not relying on hope to get us there. It’s a strategy that relies on sharing information, sharing resources, and sharing a common commitment to protect this country-and grow our economy.”
