Trade War

The end of January marked the deadline to submit exclusion requests under the Section 301 List 4A tariffs. Michael Best Strategies was proud to assist its trade clients with their filings, which spanned a wide range of products with implications across the U.S. economy. Today, we take a look at the List 4A filings by the numbers.

General Statistics

USTR received 8,782 filings for List 4A—a large number, but nowhere near the more than 30,000 requests it received for List 3. 1,279 companies submitted exclusion requests for List 4A.

Hand Tools Are King

USTR received 622 exclusion requests under HTSUS Code 84672900, which contains “electromechanical tools for working in the hand, other than drills or saws, with self-contained electric motor.” See the below table for the top ten HTSUS codes used in the List 4A filings:

America Procrastinates

Of the 8,782 exclusion requests filed, 4,797 of them were submitted to USTR within 48 hours of the end-of-January deadline.

List 4A Tariffs Will Be Reduced at the End of the Week

Under the Phase One agreement signed by President Donald Trump and Vice Premier Liu Hu, the List 4A tariffs are set to be reduced from 15% to 7.5% on Friday, February 14th. Under the same deal, tariffs on List 4B product will be postponed indefinitely. If you are in need of assistance with any trade matters, please do not hesitate to contact the Michael Best Strategies Trade Team.

Bio Link Brandt supports both the Strategies team and the firm’s clients in his role as an Associate with Michael Best Strategies. He works closely with the firm’s Business & Community Solutions group, assisting with research, communications, logistics, and project management. Brandt also works with clients to develop and deploy a variety of strategic operational and growth initiatives. Expertise: Logistics, Communications, Continuous Improvement, Project Management