英语新闻丨美国或将终止对低价商品征收零关税

US President Joe Biden has proposed removing a trade exemption that allows goods made in China and shipped by popular companies such as Shein and Temu to bypass import duties if they are worth less than $800.

美国总统拜登提议取消一项贸易豁免政策。该政策允许由中国制造、经中国跨境电商平台Shein和Temu等热门公司运输，价值低于800美元的商品免缴关税。

A US trade association said such changes would also affect American companies and consumers who enjoy buying the low-cost goods.

一家美国贸易协会表示，这种变化也会影响喜欢购买低价商品的美国公司和消费者。

The "de minimis'' exemption permits such packages to be flown into the United States without levies or processing fees.

“小额豁免”政策允许此类包裹进口美国时，无需支付关税或手续费。

The Biden administration wants the packages to no longer be exempt from tariffs if they fall under Sections 201 or 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, or Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, according to a statement released by the White House on Friday.

根据白宫13日发表的声明，拜登政府希望，如果符合美国《1974年贸易法》第201条、第301条，或《1962年贸易扩大法》第232条的规定，这些商品将不再享受关税豁免。

But the administration's changes will not go into effect right away, The New York Times reported, adding that the proposal will be subject to comment by industries before being finalized in the coming months. There also is a presidential election on Nov 5.

但政府的改革不会立即生效，《纽约时报》报道称，在未来几个月内最终敲定前，该提案将征求各行业的意见。总统选举也将在11月5日举行。

More than 1 billion de minimis packages from across the globe came through US customs in 2023, up from 134 million in 2015, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.

根据美国海关和边境保护局的数据，2023年，有超过10亿个来自全球各地的“小额豁免”包裹通过美国海关，高于2015年的1.34亿个。

China is the biggest source of retail packages entering the US daily, with around 3 million falling under de minimis, CBP data shows.

美国海关和边境保护局数据显示，中国是每天进入美国的零售包裹的最大来源国，其中约有300万个包裹属于“小额豁免”范围。

Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, told China Daily that Chinese fast-fashion brands are so successful because they offer international consumers several perks.

宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院的市场营销学教授张忠告诉《中国日报》，中国快时尚品牌之所以如此成功，是因为它们为国际消费者提供了多项优惠。

"Prices are lower, helped by a significant extent by zero tariffs that the US is levying on small parcels of less than $800 in value," Zhang said.

“价格的低廉，在很大程度上得益于美国对价值800美元以下的小包裹征收零关税。”张忠表示。

Shein and Temu have defended their businesses.

中国跨境电商平台Shein和Temu对此表态。

"Since Temu's launch in September 2022, our mission has been to offer consumers a wider selection of quality products at affordable prices," a Temu spokesperson told arstechnica.com, a technology news website. "We achieve this through an efficient business model that cuts out unnecessary middlemen, allowing us to pass savings directly to our customers. Temu's growth does not depend on the de minimis policy."

“自Temu于2022年9月推出以来，我们的使命一直是为消费者提供更多物美价廉的商品。”Temu发言人告诉科技新闻网站arstechnica.com，“我们通过高效的商业模式来实现这一目标，这种模式剔除了不必要的中间环节，使我们能够将节省下来的成本直接惠及顾客。Temu 的发展并不依赖‘小额豁免’政策。”

A Shein spokesperson told arstechnica that the company "makes import compliance a top priority, including the reporting requirements under US law with respect to de minimis entries".

Shein发言人告诉arstechnica，该公司 “将进口合规性作为重中之重，包括美国法律规定的有关‘小额豁免’包裹入境的报告要求”。

The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), a trade association based in Washington, said the changes to the rule won't affect only Chinese fast-fashion brands, but also American companies and consumers who enjoy buying the low-cost goods.

全美对外贸易委员会表示，对政策规则的修改不仅会影响中国的快时尚品牌，还会影响那些喜欢购买低价商品的美国公司和消费者。

In a letter dated March 6, the NFTC wrote to Jake Sullivan, national security adviser, and Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council of the US, on behalf of several US trade organizations.

3月6日，全美对外贸易委员会代表美国多家贸易组织，致函美国总统国家安全事务助理杰克·沙利文和美国国家经济委员会主任莱尔·布雷纳德。

The trade body had urged the government to "protect an essential component of America's economic health and supply chain efficiency: de minimis treatment of low-value goods entering the US".

信中，该贸易组织敦促美国政府“保护美国经济健康和供应链效率的重要组成部分——对进入美国的低价商品实行‘小额豁免’待遇”。

The letter was backed by the Consumer Technology Association, the Express Association of America (EAA), the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Foreign Trade Council TechNet and the US Chamber of Commerce.

这封信得到了美国消费技术协会、美国快递协会、全美制造商协会、全美对外贸易委员会TechNet和美国商会的支持。

"De minimis has benefitted thousands of American small businesses across all sectors," the letter said. "For example, de minimis allows businesses to obtain inputs for domestically manufactured products into the US more efficiently and with fewer unnecessary administrative requirements.

“‘小额豁免’使各行各业数以千计的美国小企业受益。” 信中说道，“比如，它使企业能够更有效地获得对美国国内制造产品的投入，减少不必要的行政要求。

"It has also made purchasing goods online more affordable and accessible for consumers at a time of inflation and supply chain challenges."

“在通货膨胀和供应链面临挑战的时候，它还使消费者能够更实惠、更方便地在线购买商品。”

Earlier this year, US lawmakers called on the federal government to amend or shut down the de minimis exemption. A group of 40 lawmakers asked Homeland Security Secretary Alexander Mayorkas in a February letter to explore amending the use of the rule.

今年早些时候，美国国会议员就呼吁联邦政府修改或取消“小额豁免”政策。2月，40 位美国国会议员写信要求美国国土安全部部长亚历杭德罗·马约尔卡斯探讨修改该规则的使用。

The NFTC estimates that changes to the de minimis rule will more than double the price of a $50 package based on a processing fee of $31.67 and a brokerage fee of $20 after it arrives in the US.

全美对外贸易委员会估计，基于31.67美元的手续费和运抵美国后20美元的中介费，对“小额豁免”政策的修改将使价值50美元的包裹的价格翻一番以上。

It also could lead 88 other countries with de minimis policies to adjust their rules, which could hurt American exporters.

这也可能导致其它88个实行“小额豁免”政策的国家调整其规则，从而损害美国出口商的利益。

The de minimis exemption, Section 321 of the Tariff Act of 1930, was created in 1938. Its aim was to help facilitate global commerce and allow for small packages valued at less than $5 ($160 in today's dollars) to get to customers quickly and efficiently.

“小额豁免”，即美国《1930年关税法》第321条，创立于1938年。其目的是帮助促进全球贸易，使价值低于5美元（按现在的价值计算为160美元）的小包裹能够快速、高效地送达顾客手中。

The value of the packages allowed under the rule has gone up steadily over the years from $200 in 1994 to $800 in 2016, per person, per day.

多年来，该规则允许的包裹价值稳步上升，从1994年的每人每天200美元增至2016年的800美元。