As you are already aware, the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) partially excluded 89 HTS subheadings from Section 301 List 2 tariffs on September 20, 2019.

All cargo that has been entered for consumption or withdrawn from a warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 AM on August 23, 2018 and before September 20, 2020 may be eligible for the exclusion.

At this time, this round of exclusions is currently set to expire on September 20, 2020.

If you would like to take advantage of the exclusion prior to its expiration, please contact your Shapiro representative immediately.

It is equally as important for you to have a voice if you would like an exclusion to be extended.Luckily, there may be an opportunity to do just that!

The USTR just announced that they are seeking comments from the trade community to help determine which exclusions should be extended.  You can do this on your own, or we can assist you.

Please note that the USTR’s evaluation primarily focuses on the following:

  • Can the product be sourced elsewhere?
  • Have there been any changes to the product’s supply chain since August 2018?
  • What (if any) efforts have been made to source the product elsewhere?

Please refer to the schedule below for all consideration and comment deadlines:

  • July 1, 2020: Online portal will open for public submissions beginning at 12:01 am ET
  • July 30, 2020: All written comments must be submitted by 11:59 pm ET

All submission requests must be sent electronically via the USTR Comment Portal; the docket number is USTR–2020–0025.

The official USTR notice can be found HERE.

If you would like to receive additional information regarding the comment process for this round of exclusions, or if you would like assistance in commenting, please click HERE or notify your Shapiro representative today.

Want to learn more about exclusions? Check out our recent Shap Blog, Food for Thought: Are Your Section 301 Exclusions Approaching Their Expiration Date?

We encourage you to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or for additional assistance with the exclusion comment process.

Shapiro will continue to monitor the situation and provide status updates on our Section 301 Tariff News page as they become available.