New Section 232 and Section 301 Developments

December 2, 2019

Tariffs news - Section 232 Tariffs on Aluminum and Steel

Section 232 tariffs in Argentina and Brazil will be reinstated soon due to a “massive devaluation of their currencies,” according to the latest Tweet by President Trump on December 2nd

As background, President Donald Trump imposed an additional duty rate of 25% on steel imports and 10% on aluminum imports originating from several countries. In the last year, aluminum exemptions have been granted to Mexico, Canada, Argentina, and Australia, while steel exemptions have been allowed to Canada, Mexico, Australia, Brazil, and South Korea. See detailed information on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

At the same time, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released a report proposing action in the form of additional duties of up to 100% on products originating from France, drawn from the Annex published in the notice. Goods include, but are not limited to, cheese, soap, cosmetics, handbags, and porcelain/china. This Section 301 investigation comes due to France’s Digital Service Tax, deemed to be unreasonable and “discriminatory” against US commerce. The (USTR) is seeking public comments due on January 6th, 2020, where the hearing will be on January 7th, 2020.

Crane Worldwide can assist a business in filing for exclusions through our Trade Advisory Services team. Please reach out to our team for more information.