USITC Sends Tariff-Rate Quartz Quota to President
WASHINGTON – The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) made its tariff-rate quota recommendations official today on quartz-surface imports.
The proposal, virtually unchanged from its presentation earlier this month, now goes to President Donald Trump for a final decision within 60 days.
The USITC voted 2-0 on May 5 for a four-year tariff based on the level of quartz-surface imports. Shipments in the first year would face a 25% tariff below 140 million ft², and 40% above that amount. The tariffs would decline by 1% annually, and the shipment level would rise to 169 million ft² in its final year.
The quota would also be split equally between each quarter of the year; for example, the first year would have a tariff-rate quota of 35 million ft² every three months. If shipments in any quarter is below the quota level, the unused portion will be added to the next quarter’s quota.
The USITC also recommended that countries with current trade agreements with the United States, including Canada, Israel, Mexico, Singapore, and South Korea be exempted from the tariff. It also asks for “de-stacking,” or canceling, any other tariffs on the imports, except for unfair-trade duties already levied by the USITC.
The recommendations also include a legislative proposal to distribute tariff revenue to mitigate the impact on fabricators, and to exclude some shipments from tariffs if there’s “a demonstrated lack of production” or a “critical short supply” of a particular product.
The actions are a result of the USITC determining in early April that imports from 2020-2024 caused “harm” to the domestic quartz-surface manufacturers.
The president now has until July 18 to implement the USITC recommendations, or construct a different set of actions, including a different tariff structure and a possible quota limit on quartz-surface imports.
The USITC’s recommendations will also get a review from a federal interagency board through the office of the U.S. Trade Representative next month.