MTB Duty Reductions Won’t Supersede China Import Tariffs, CBP Says

Tuesday, October 16, 2018
Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg Trade Report

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has issued a message stating that the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill Act’s duty suspensions or reductions on 1,660 products were effective for goods entered or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after Oct. 13 and will remain in effect through Dec. 31, 2020. A majority of the products covered by the MTB are chemicals, but textiles, apparel, and footwear; machinery and equipment; and agricultural and fishery products are included as well.

According to CBP, about half the MTB-eligible items are produced in China and may therefore be subject to the Section 301 additional tariffs President Trump has imposed on a wide range of imports from China. CBP states that while such products can benefit from the MTB’s suspensions and reductions for the general (column 1) rates of duty, they remain subject to the 25 percent duty rate imposed by HTSUS 9903.88.01 and 9903.88.02 or the 10 percent duty rate imposed by HTSUS 9903.88.03 and 9903.88.04, as applicable.

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