President Trump recently announced that he would delay the increase on tariffs on Lists 1-3, which was scheduled to take effect on Oct. 15. The tariffs on these lists would have increased from 25 to 30 percent. This came on the heels of the announcement of a “Phase 1” deal with China.
Many items on these lists are of concern to the RV industry, including tires, wheels, propane tanks, fabrics, carpet, plywood, refrigerators, appliances and parts, plumbing goods and accessories, and various raw metals.
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to sign the agreement at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting in Chile scheduled for mid- November. The deal reportedly includes additional agricultural purchases, increased limits on foreign ownership in China’s financial services sector, and improvements to certain intellectual property provisions.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has not indicated whether the administration plans to suspend the tariffs scheduled to take effect on Dec. 15. He did, however, indicate that the decision is “part of the process” moving forward.
The RV industry continues to work closely with members of Congress, especially U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN-2), to promote trade policies that lessen the impact of tariffs on the RV industry and target bad actors without placing strain on American manufacturing.
