As we have previously reported, new tariffs, taxes, and fees are constantly being imposed, revised, and paused, with last week providing even more changes to existing directives. We expect even more changes in the coming days and weeks. As always, any added tariffs come on top of standard rates of duty, paid by the Importer of Record upon entry into the country, and based on the country of origin.
Here is the latest news as of the morning of March 11, 2025:
All imports from China are presently subject to a total tariff of 45% as of 12:01 AM March 4, 2025.
New tariffs on product from Canada and Mexico are in flux as the U.S. continues to formalize a cohesive trade strategy: A new tariff of 25% was introduced, then altered, for all product from Canada and Mexico.
Presently, only about 50% of U.S. imports from Mexico and 38% of imports from Canada comply with these terms, though more could in the coming weeks.
Prior to the new tariff declaration, many of these goods were either not subject to any U.S. duties, or the duty was minimal. Many vendors choose not to go through the process of filing the necessary paperwork to comply as the cost-savings was inappreciable.
This process also does take time to be certified, so vendors may not get the opportunity to be certified compliant before April 2, 2025.
We are seeing some delays at the borders of Canada and Mexico with overland transport, but individual carriers are keeping customers advised as delays are encountered.
It is not clear if the delays are caused by the assessment tariff themselves, or are due to vendors trying to accelerate importation of product ahead of the April 2nd deadline.
Our post in late February discussed an increased tariff on raw materials like steel and aluminum (regardless of origin) which were set to go into effect March 12, 2025. This has now been threatened to be doubled to 50% tariffs for specifically Canadian steel and aluminum as the U.S. continues to iterate its international trade strategy. At this time there has not been any formal paperwork signed regarding these statements regarding steel and aluminum tariffs.
As we have stated previously, in this state of continuous change regarding taxes and fees, the best advisors to talk to are the vendors and importers handling the transport of these goods into the U.S. Many carrier companies are working diligently to adapt to the changing needs of importers and vendors across the U.S. as the process of importing goods into the U.S. grows in complexity. Importer companies and the vendors themselves are better able to advise on which components of the products - if any - may be subject to the new tariffs, taxes, and fees.