Legislation Refunding Tariffs for European Goods on Water Introduced
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., and Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, introduced a bill Feb. 13 that would allow importers of European goods hit by the Airbus tariffs to receive refunds for goods that were on the water at the time the tariff hikes were announced. They are calling the bill “For Accurate Import Relief To Aid Retailers and Importers of Foreign Freights” (FAIR TARIFF) Act. The Cheese Importers Association of America previously voiced its support for the bill (see 2001290043).
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The press release announcing the bill notes that most of the targeted products -- $7.5 billion in goods, with 25 percent tariffs on whiskey, wine, cheeses, Spanish olive oil -- are shipped by sea, and therefore importers could have already sent for the products before they knew what tariffs would be on them. It said that it takes about 40 days to the Port of Seattle, 30 days to the Port of Los Angeles, and 25 days to the Port of Houston. Pascrell's office did not provide an estimate of how much money could be in play if the bill passes. The bill has 11 Democratic co-sponsors and six Republican co-sponsors, including the non-voting Puerto Rico representative, in addition to the two lead sponsors.