Trade Groups Call for Tariff Cuts as Part of COVD-19 Response
The U.S. should “develop a targeted list of products for which Section 301 tariffs and retaliatory tariffs can be suspended or removed to spur economic growth and job creation,” the National Association of Manufacturers said in a set of recommendations for the federal government response to the COVD-19 outbreak. NAM also suggested “temporary duty waivers and expedited entry procedures to facilitate cross-border trade in health care items” and extensions of tariff relief programs “to allow import of components used in U.S. manufacturing of coronavirus-needed products.” The U.S. should also begin negotiations with other countries to reduce tariffs on items needed for the response and create an “interagency initiative to identify and reduce trade and regulatory barriers to U.S. exports of products used in a pandemic response.”
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The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America also suggested that the administration lower tariffs as part of the COVD-19 response, it said in a March 10 email. The FDRA wrote to National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow to offer support for the payroll tax cut and said “the time is right for a freeze on footwear duties in order to reduce higher costs on American families.” The group said the “White House has it within its power to enact duty freezes on its own” and could also “choose to temporarily lower duty rates.”