On Saturday, December 1, 2018, the President of the United States agreed to suspend the increase in tariffs scheduled for January 1, 2019. The White House issued a statement, which included the following: “… President Trump has agreed that on January 1, 2019, he will leave the tariffs on $200 billion worth of product at the 10% rate, and not raise it to 25% at this time.”
News / Regulatory Updates
On Tuesday, October 30, 2018, a Presidential Proclamation was made that modifies the list of products eligible for duty-free treatment under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). These changes impact goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after 12:01 a.m. EDT on November 1, 2018.
The following HTSUS numbers have been removed from GSP eligibility for preferential treatment duty when imported from the countries indicated:
The next FDA Renewal period begins October 1, 2018. All domestic and foreign food and medical device facilities, along with the companies that source from them, are required to renew their registration during the period from October 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018.
On September 17, 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the third list (List 3 Final) of approximately $200 billion worth of imports from China that will be subject to additional tariffs. This recent action is part of the Section 301 U.S. response to China’s unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of American technology and intellectual property.
Unlike previous Section 301 actions, this third list of additional tariffs will be implemented in two phases, with effective dates of September 24, 2018, and January 1, 2019. This third list follows the first list of tariffs on approximately $34 billion of imports from China which went into effect on July 6, 2018, and the second list of approximately $16 billion of imports from China which went into effect on August 23, 2018.
On September 13, 2018, H.R. 4318: Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act of 2018 (MTB) was signed into law. This bill suspends or reduces through December 31, 2020, import duties on approximately 1700 products generally not made in the United States. Most of the products listed were recommended by the International Trade Commission (ITC) pursuant to a process established in the American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2016. The products covered include specified chemicals, as well as other items such as certain agricultural products, textiles, fabrics, apparel, bags, gloves, footwear, and some equipment and machinery.
For additional information, contact your local MIQ Logistics representative.
On August 29, 2018, the President of the United States signed a proclamation allowing for targeted relief from quotas on steel from Argentina, Brazil, and South Korea and aluminum from Argentina, imposed under Section 232. Importers can apply for product exclusions based on insufficient quantity or quality available from U.S. steel or aluminum producers.
The next FDA Renewal period begins October 1, 2018. All domestic and foreign food and medical device facilities, along with the companies that source from them, are required to renew their registration during the period from October 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018.
On August 7, 2018, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the second list (List 2 – Final) of approximately $16 billion worth of imports from China that will be subject to a 25 percent additional tariff as part of the U.S. response to China’s unfair trade practices related to the forced transfer of American technology and intellectual property. This second list of additional tariffs under Section 301 follows the first list of tariffs on approximately $34 billion of imports from China, which went into effect on July 6, 2018.
On Tuesday, July 10, 2018, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released the proposed list of Chinese products that could be subject to an additional 10 percent tariff, a proposed modification to the earlier actions taken in the U.S. Section 301 investigation of the acts, policies, and practices of the Government of China related to technology transfer, intellectual property, and innovation.
On Friday, July 6, 2018, the effective date of the new U.S. Section 301 tariffs, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published the procedure on how companies can request exclusion from the tariffs on specific products from China.