WRIGHTSTUDIO - STOCK.ADOBE.COM PHOTOThe National Marine Manufacturers Association submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Commerce calling on the Biden administration to reinstate expired exclusions and to reopen the exclusion process for products from China impacted by Section 301 tariffs.
In May, the administration announced proposed modifications to the tariffs on imports from China. The changes would increase the taxes on several sectors and establish a new limited exclusion process for domestic machinery. The administration isn’t removing the current tariffs that impact more than 300 components, materials and parts used in marine manufacturing.
“Around 90% of recreational marine businesses are small businesses, of which many are family-owned,” NMMA said in a statement. “From tariffs on raw materials and components to retaliatory tariffs that froze the European Union from marine exports, the U.S. recreational boating industry has borne the brunt of tit-for-tat tariffs.”
Regarding the difficulty in reinventing supply chains, NMMA added, “Shifting supply chain networks cannot change at the drop of a hat, requiring companies, instead, to commit significant capital toward a complex and long-term process. The Section 301 tariffs continue hampering small, domestic marine businesses, as they are unable to find suitable alternative networks, especially for specialized products often found in the marine industry.”
For the past four years, the Biden administration has been reviewing trade and tariff policies for realigning the U.S.-China trade relationship. During that time, NMMA has urged the administration to reinstate all exclusions for marine products and reopen the exclusions process for products currently impacted by Section 301 tariffs.
Businesses that believe they have been impacted by the tariffs can contact NMMA director of federal government relations Clay Crabtree at ccrabtree@nmma.org.
