
Yet another country asks for a relief from the US's high customs duties on imported aluminium and steel. The Israeli government is pressing the United States of America to exempt it from the tariffs as they are affecting the small businesses.
As reported by “Globes”, Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry Foreign Trade Administration has already corresponded with the International Trade Administration in the US Department of Commerce seeking an exemption from the restrictions on aluminium and steel exports to the US.
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Israel’s official has put up a reason for the request that its metal exports to the US are too marginal (a total of US$25 million a year) to pose any kind of threat to the US economy. At the same time, limiting aluminium and steel exports from Israel to the US by imposing heavy tariffs could affect its small and medium-sized businesses.
Referring to this, the Metal Industries Association of Israel has further presented the country’s metal exports data to the US which shows that its total aluminium and steel exports to the US market were a total of US$3 to US$4 million and US$21 million respectively in the past year.
"The quantity of exports is purely marginal, and poses no threat to the US market, but stopping it will deal a hard blow to dozens of Israeli companies. The US should exempt us from this measure in the name of friendship between the two countries and our common interests," a senior Manufacturers Association source said.
Although the US has exempted a few countries including the European Union from the very recently-enacted tariffs, Israel opines that “it is reasonable to assume that the US administration has a special interest in exempting each one of these countries from the customs duties reform at this stage. At least until early May, he will try to get something in exchange from each one of them”, reported by an anonymous industrial source who spoke to Israeli media on this issue.
However, at this stage, it is very difficult to assess the chances of Israel’s exemption.
The source said, “The chances look 50-50 right now, and it is likely to take several weeks before a decision is made one way or the other.”
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