Trump Administration Slashes Scheduled Tariffs on Italian Pasta Amid Fears of Shortages

American lovers of Italian pasta have gotten a New Year’s reprieve with news that the Trump administration is dialing back plans to impose a 92 percent added tariff on the imported product beginning this month.The administration announced the antidumping tariff on 13 pasta companies after an investigation by the Department of Commerce found in September they were selling pasta at below market prices. In response, several Italian pasta companies said in November they would stop all sales in America.The companies said that the antidumping tariff, combined with President Trump’s 15 percent tariff on most imports from the European Union, made it too expensive to ship pasta to America. But Italy’s foreign ministry said Thursday that the administration has decided to sharply reduce the punitive tariff. The Commerce Department lowered the tariff on one company, La Molisana, to 2.26 percent and on another, Garofalo, to 13.98 percent. The department had previously singled out those two companies as the offenders that prompted the antidumping action.Eleven other pasta producers will face an added tariff of 9.09 percent. The final tariff may change once the Commerce Department concludes its investigation. It is expected to release a report on March 11. “The recalculation of the duties is a sign that U.S. authorities recognize our companies’ constructive willingness to cooperate,” the foreign ministry said. The American market is worth about $800 million to Italian pasta makers.Italian exporters account for about 12 percent of the pasta sold in America. The president of Italy’s largest agricultural organization, Coldiretti, had told Italian reporters that the threatened 92 percent tariffs would be a “death blow” to the Italian pasta industry. The Commerce Department did not respond to a request from the New York Sun for comment by the time of publication. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump signed a proclamation delaying scheduled increases in the tariff on imported furniture. The existing 25 percent tariff had been scheduled to rise to 30 percent for upholstered furniture and 50 percent for kitchen cabinets.

Trump Administration Slashes Scheduled Tariffs on Italian Pasta Amid Fears of Shortages

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