According to NME.com, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that vinyl records, CDs and cassettes will be exempt from tariff adjustments in the U.S. The new changes follows President Donald Trump’s return to the White House at the start of the year, where he signed an executive order to impose tariffs on imports from a number of countries.
International businesses shipping to the U.S. will now be subjected to different import taxes, with the amount depending on various deals that have been decided in recent months. Companies from the UK will now pay around 10 per cent of the product’s value in tax, while sellers across the rest of Europe are subjected to fees of around 15 per cent.
On August 29, the changes it came into effect that “de minimis” goods imported to the United States, goods which have a value of under $800 (£590,) will no longer be exempt from import taxes. With that being said, it was confirmed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency’s website that products classed as “informational materials,” including books, magazines and physical music products, will be exempt from the “de minimis” rules.
But with the exemption, CDs, vinyl, cassettes and more will no longer be affected by the tariff changes, however, other pieces of music merchandise, including posters and clothing, will. BBC News has reported that the new tariffs will cause increased checks at the United States border. This is likely to lead to customers expecting shipments to face delays and has already led to some retailers no longer shipping to the US. To work around the changes to tariffs, some companies are encouraging sellers to opt for Direct Duty Paid shipping (DDP). This means that the taxes, import duties and tariffs are all paid for by the customer.
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