By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) will accept tariff exclusion requests on October 31 for Chinese imports subject to 15% tariffs (List 4) that began on September 1. The deadline for submitting requests is January 31, 2020. Requests are to be submitted online.
Find out more information about the exclusion application process.
To be eligible for an exclusion, companies must demonstrate that the product is available only from China, that the duties will cause severe economic harm, and that the good is strategically important. The exclusions cover all imports under the HTS listing number, not just the request filed by an individual importer.
The USTR continues to review previously submitted exclusion requests. The agency has just granted exclusions for 83 products contained on List 3 imports from China subject to 25% tariffs. The products cover a wide variety of commodities but include 356 aluminum road wheels (8708.70.4545, 20–26 in. in diameter and 10–16 in. in width); safety seat belts and retractor assemblies (8708.21.0000 and 8708.29.5060); and clutch covers and discs of steel (8708.93.7500). The exclusions apply to products imported from September 24, 2018 to August 7, 2020.
Finally, the USTR has requested public comments on its proposal to extend for another year exclusions granted from the “List 1” tariffs. The exclusions are set to expire on December 28, 2019. Comments due Nov. 30, 2019. The USTR will evaluate extension requests on a case-by-case basis, focusing on whether China remains the only available source for the product along with any efforts taken by the U.S. companies to source the product from the United States or a country other than China.
Find out more information online or contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.