The Grinch is up to his nasty tricks again, getting ready to steal Christmas from the Whos down in Whoville who have enjoyed tariff-free imports from China.
Numerous Section 301 tariff exclusions are set to expire on December 31, with nary a peep from the USTR. This means that importers may be subject to additional duties on their imports from China as early as January 1.
The list contains more than 300 exclusions on various products as well as exclusions for 77 medical products needed to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Please click here to view the complete list of impacted products.
Meanwhile, importers who have been waiting with anticipation for some relief from the Section 301 tariffs won’t have any good news to unwrap Christmas morning either. Despite continued interest from the private sector and Congress, the USTR has been “non-responsive” to questions regarding the status of the Section 301 report, which was expected to be completed this fall, and subsequently pushed out to year end. We are now hearing reports that the USTR won’t issue the report until Q1 2024.
Will the USTR discover the true meaning of Christmas before the end of the year and extend the current tariff exclusions? While there has been some speculation about another extension and/or additions or removals, nothing has been confirmed at this time. We’ll just have to wait for the end of the movie to see if her heart really will grow three sizes in one day.
