The Trump administration has granted exclusions from steep reciprocal tariffs for smartphones, computers and certain other electronics, primarily imported from China.
This decision provides significant relief to technology firms such as Apple that depend on imported products.
According to a notice to shippers published by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency, a list of tariff codes has been excluded from the import taxes, with retroactive effect from 12:01 a.m. EDT on April 5.
Trump grants tariff exclusions for key electronics categories
The exclusions cover 20 product categories, including the comprehensive 8471 code for computers, laptops, disc drives and automatic data processing.
Semiconductor devices, equipment, memory chips and flat panel displays were also included in the exemptions.
This late-night exclusion brings relief to major technology companies including Apple, Dell Technologies and numerous other importers.
Trump’s action also exempts the specified electronics from his 10 percent “baseline” tariffs on goods from most countries apart from China, reducing import costs for semiconductors from Taiwan and Apple iPhones manufactured in India.
When questioned about his reasoning for the exemptions and plans for semiconductors on Saturday, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I’ll give you that answer on Monday. We’ll be very specific on Monday … we’re taking in a lot of money, as a country, we’re taking in a lot of money,” Reuters reported.
The full details of the administration’s plans regarding semiconductor policy are expected early next week.
