Latest Updates To Tariffs

In the past week, there have been a number of updates to the lists of tariffs currently proposed by the US Government. Recently, the Administration released updates to Steel and Aluminum Tariffs, Section 301 Tariffs and other trade-related information.

Steel And Aluminum Tariffs

As of August 2018, there have been 20,000 exclusion requests submitted (BIS-2018-0006 for steel, BIS-2018-0002 for aluminum) with 42 exclusions granted and 56 denied. There is no deadline for filing for an exclusion for Section 232 tariffs. Here are some considerations when applying for exemptions:

  1. Steel and aluminum items cannot be sourced domestically
  2. An importer of record must be a US entity
  3. No foreign importers can apply for an exemption
  4. It is important to review the tariff(s) currently being used for these products

The following are important points that should be remembered regarding steel and aluminum tariffs:

  • If an importer receives an exclusion but the entry has already liquidated, a protest must be filed
  • The ACE importer additional direction field has been modified to accommodate exclusions that have been granted
  • Input information is STL for steel and ALU for aluminum followed by the six digit docket number
  • Tariffs can be challenged by submitting a protest through the Court of International Trade - extra duties are suspended until the outcome of the protest is decided
  • Argentina, Brazil and South Korea are not subject to S232 tariff import duties for steel imports but are subject to S232 Absolute Quotas for steel imports
  • Argentina is subject to S232 Absolute Quotas for aluminum imports
  • GSP is NOT applicable to steel and aluminum imports

Section 301 Tariffs

On August 1, The Administration requested that duties on Section 301 List 3 be increased from 10 percent to 25 percent. As a result, the following due dates were extended:

  • Requests to appear at the hearing due date was extended to August 13
  • Written rebuttal period due date was extended to September 6

Please note that the hearing dates are still August 20-23.

Other Trade News

The following are events that are scheduled to take place in the coming weeks:

  • Possible talks leading to an exemption from tariffs for the European Union (EU)
  • The possible revocation of GSP elgibility for Turkey due to potential issues with Turkey not meeting GSP compliance - currently in review by the USTR

Key Takeaways

The following is a comprehensive timeline of important information regarding tariffs in 2018:

  • January 2018 – S201 Cases – Large Residential Washing Machines and Imported Solar Cells and Modules – Tariff Rate Quotas of 20 and 30 percent (decreasing annual scale)
  • March 2018 – S232 Cases – Steel and Aluminum Imports – 25 and 10 percent tariff respectively (Steel - Argentina,  Brazil and South Korea covered by Absolute quota; Australia exempted from S232 at this time. Aluminum – Argentina covered by Absolute Quota; Argentina and Australia exempted from S232 at this time)
  • May 2018 – Proposed S232 Investigation of Automobiles and Auto Parts – Comments and Hearing closed
  • July 2018 – Self-initiated 232 Investigation of Uranium – No public comment or hearing has been announced
  • July 2018 -  S301 Case – 818 items ($34 Billion of Imports) subject to 25 percent duty from Chinese Origin – Effective date July 6, 2018 -  Deadline to request exclusions October 9, 2018
  • July 2018 – S301 List 2 – 279 items ($16 Billion of Imports) subject to 25 percent duty from Chinese Origin – Comment and Hearing period closed – Effective date August 23, 2018
  • August 2018 - Proposed S301 List 3 – 6000+ items ($200 billion of Imports) originally subject to 10 percent OR 25 percent duty from Chinese Origin– Public Hearing will be held August 20 – 23 in Washington – Effective date TBD – Due Date for Written Comments & Post Hearing Rebuttal extended to September 6, 2018
  • August 12, 2018 – S232 Case – Steel and Aluminum Imports from Turkey increase to 50 percent and 20 percent respectively 

To stay up to date on all news related to international trade and tariffs, please contact us or reach out to your local Ascent Global Logistics representative directly.

Best Regards,
Carie Samuel
Vice President of Regulatory Compliance
Ascent Global Logistics International Freight Forwarding
2424 W Kingsley St STE C, Springfield MO 65807
PH: 417-823-9800  FX: 417-823-9919
www.ascentgl.com