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Kudlow Says Tariff Deferral Aimed at Helping Retail Industry

U.S. allows for deferral of duty payments in hardship cases
Kudlow says action ‘not enormous,’ no change to trade policies

Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, speaks to members of the media in Washington on April 9, 2020. — Larry Kudlow, director of the U.S. National Economic Council, speaks to members of the media in Washington on April 9, 2020.
Photographer: Oliver Contreras/Sipa

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April 20, 2020, 2:54 PM UTCUpdated onApril 20, 2020, 3:16 PM UTC

The U.S.’s temporary suspension of certain tariff payments is aimed at helping industries such as retail that are facing liquidity issues because of the coronavirus crisis, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said.

“In some cases the customs duties -- the excise tax you pay on the import -- will be lifted if there are hardship cases,” Kudlow said in an interview with Bloomberg TV Monday. “In particular, there’s a lot of concern about retailers and related supply chains getting into the United States.”