Washington – Congress may move to reduce or eliminate import duty on some imports, including a few soft home goods categories.
The items are part of a report for proposed Miscellaneous Tariff Bills (MTBs) recently issued by the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The bills, when enacted by Congress, would temporarily eliminate or reduce the underlying duties on products that were submitted for consideration.
In the home textiles realm, categories of note include (under HTS subheadings) :
- Mattress protectors – 6303.10.00
- Shower curtains – 6303.12.00
- Pillow shells – 6307.90.98
Robert Leo, legal counsel to the Home Fashion Products Association (HFPA), noted in an alert to members that these are not “China tariffs,” but import duties.
“Once the package is finalized by the ITC It will be sent to Congress for approval. It is hoped that Congress will pass the package so the duty elimination or reduction will take effect on January 1, 2021,” wrote Leo, who is a partner at Meeks, Sheppard, Leo & Pillsbury.
There are no MTBs proposed for sheets, towels, pillows, quilts or comforters, he added. If Congressional approval is delayed, the effective date could be made retroactive.
Importers who want to weigh in the proposals have until June 22 at 5:15 p.m. EST to comment. The comments must be submitted to the ITC electronically through the Commission website https://mtbps.usitc.gov.
The pertinent part of the formal notice is 85 FR 23059 at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2020-04-24/pdf/2020-08673.pdf.
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