USTR SECTION 301 TARIFF REVIEW

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (“USTR”) recently announced the publication of questions in which interested parties can submit comments regarding the impacts of the Section 301 tariff process starting November 15th. The questionnaire will include 3 sections, of which 2 are focused on economy wide impacts and one on individual tariff headings.There are questions relating to whether a specific tariff subheading should be included as part of Section 301 tariffs. This request is far broader than previous exclusion processes, which were meant to be limited to individual products as opposed to any product falling within a tariff number. This request for comments is not an official exclusion process but is an opportunity for companies to formally advocate for relief of Section 301 tariffs. The Section 301 tariff was set to expire last summer, but due to many requests from domestic industries benefiting from the tariff, the USTR announced its continuation. The USTR will primarily focus on reviewing importer requests. The acceptance of comments through the USTR portal will end on January 17th. 

If you have any questions, please contact your local Noatum Logistics representative.