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U.S. Customs Service: Compliance with the Inflation Adjustment Act

GAO-02-1045R Published: Sep 09, 2002. Publicly Released: Sep 09, 2002.
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Highlights

Earlier this year, GAO began a governmentwide review of the implementation of the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990. The act requires each federal agency to issue a regulation adjusting its covered maximum civil monetary penalties for inflation by October 23, 1996, and requires each agency to make necessary adjustments at least once every 4 years thereafter. During the review, the Customs Service's Office of Chief Counsel indicated that three of the agency's civil penalties are covered by the act but that the agency had not adjusted any of them for inflation.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Directorate of Border and Transportation Security The Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service should initiate a regulatory action to adjust for inflation all of the agency's civil penalties that are covered by the Inflation Adjustment Act.
Closed – Implemented
On March 21, 2003, the Customs Service published a final rule in the Federal Register adjusting its covered penalties for inflation. The rule specifically referenced the Inflation Adjustment Act, noting that the adjustment was to have been made by October 23, 1996.

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Topics

Federal lawFines (penalties)InflationNoncompliancePrice inflationHomeland securityFederal assistance programsFederal rulemakingFederal agenciesPrice indexes