U.S. Grants Apple 10 Exemptions from Tariffs on Chinese Imports--Update
September 20 2019 - 7:41PM
Dow Jones News
By Josh Zumbrun and Anthony DeBarros
WASHINGTON -- The Trump administration has given Apple Inc. a
reprieve from tariffs on 10 items, including a power supply and a
logic board, that are imported from China.
They were among the $200 billion worth of Chinese imports first
targeted for tariffs in September 2018.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Friday granted
Apple exemptions on its Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and various
internal components. The exclusions cover a time period from
September 2018 to August 2020, and the U.S. will refund tariffs
already paid.
The exclusions do not apply to other Apple items facing tariffs
later this year, such as the Apple Watch, iPhones or AirPods,
although the tech giant may seek more exemptions in the future.
The dollar value of the exemptions couldn't be determined. Such
parts imported from China are subject to tariffs of 25% of their
value with the levies scheduled to rise to 30% on Oct. 15.
Five other Apple exemption requests, including power and data
cables and a circuit board, are still under review, according to
the USTR.
During an earnings call July 30, Tim Cook told analysts that
Apple was seeking the exclusions so it could continue assembling
some Mac Pros in the U.S. as it began doing with a version launched
in 2013. Various parts for the Mac Pro are made in China. "We're
explaining that and hope for a positive outcome," he said of the
tariff exclusion process.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment further. In seeking
individual exclusions, the company said, "There are no other
sources for this proprietary, Apple-designed component."
A few days before Mr. Cook's comments, President Trump tweeted:
"Apple will not be given Tariff waiver, or relief, for Mac Pro
parts that are made in China. Make them in the USA, no
Tariffs!"
It wasn't clear if any of Friday's exclusions relate to a new
Mac Pro Apple revealed in June or an older model made in Austin,
Texas, since 2013.
The company planned to assemble the new Mac Pro, which is slated
for release later this year, in China, using Taiwanese manufacturer
Quanta Computer Inc. It also was making contingency plans to shift
production elsewhere, if needed, because of U.S. tariffs.
The USTR didn't say why it granted the specific exemptions
Friday.
The trade representative's office has been granting exclusions
on a rolling basis for over a year. Only at the end of June could
companies apply for relief from the tranche of tariffs on $200
billion worth of goods that took effect in September 2018. The
levies were initially set at 10%. But as trade relations with
Beijing deteriorated this year, the U.S. raised those tariffs to
25%.
On Friday, the USTR granted exceptions on more than 400 items,
primarily applications that had been filed on earlier tranches of
tariffs.
Other items granted reprieves included some familiar to
consumers, such as miniature Christmas tree light sets and
retractable dog leashes. Other exemptions included highly specific
and obscure chemicals.
Tripp Mickle in San Francisco and Chad Day in Washington
contributed to this article.
Write to Josh Zumbrun at Josh.Zumbrun@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 20, 2019 19:26 ET (23:26 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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