Washington, D.C. (May 23, 2024): In an ironic twist, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative shared they would open a portal for comments on the impact of Section 301 Tariffs on businesses in the same Federal Register notice they announced new tariffs of 25 to 100 percent on a long list of products.
None of the new tariffs target sports or fitness equipment directly, but tariffs on aluminum, steel, and iron would rise to 25 percent. Companies with products containing steel, aluminum, or iron from China are encouraged to review Annex A of the Federal Register notice to determine their new tariff exposure.
With the announcement of new tariffs and the USTR’s 4-year review on the impact of Section 301 Tariffs limiting the exclusion process to machinery used in domestic manufacturing, there is no avenue to Section 301 Tariff Relief at this time. This is disappointing following the General Accountability Office (GAO) review of the Section 301 Exclusion process for consumer goods on lists 3 & 4A, which found the process seriously flawed and recommended a new fair and transparent exclusion process for consumer goods.
The USTR comment portal offers an opportunity to share the impact of the current tariffs on your business with USTR, what the new tariffs mean to your business, and press for a new fair and transparent exclusion process for consumer goods. Please find questions USTR posted for comment consideration here. The 30-day comment period opens on May 29 and closes June 28. Comments can be submitted using this link https://comments.ustr.gov/s/ under the heading “Request for Comments: Proposed Modifications to the Section 301 Actions and Proposed Exclusion Process” (docket number USTR–2024–0007).
For more information or for questions, please contact Bill Sells, SVP, Government & Public Affairs, at [email protected].