The New Up-To-100% Tariff & What You Can Do

Hi All,
Yes, I did see the thread from when the 25% tariffs kicked in last October. But action is needed, as you know, and scrolling through 1000+ posts to see quickly how your voice can be heard can take longer than actually posting your comment to the Regulations board. Furthermore, the deadline for submission of comments is looming: you need to get yours in by January 13th.

The owner of one of our distribution partners, The Harvest Wine Company in CO, put together this letter with easy instructions on how to submit it. Of course a personal message is far far better, but not everybody feels comfortable writing something up, or they think they don’t have time. Fair enough. Follow this and it will take you 5 minutes to at least throw your hat into the ring against what will put many of us out of business, and will reduce availability for all consumers in the US. And obviously, you should edit this letter should parts of it not fit your beliefs! The point is simply to make our voices heard, and heard in large numbers.

Here we go, from said distribution partner:

Thanks to all who listened to me rail about the impending tariffs. Many of you asked for a simple way to help. Here is how:

Copy the text below into a word or google doc.

Update it to include your name in the first paragraph and the signature.

Save it as a PDF with the title (your name), consumer

Go to Regulations.gov and click “Comment Now.”

Follow the instructions to upload your file and enter your name. For comments, say only “see attached”

That’s it. You’re done. Should take less than five minutes.

Please share and forward to as many as possible. Currently, there are 4,500 comments on the measure. Would love to see that number get to 25,000 before the deadline.

Office of The United States Trade Representative
Docket No. USTR-2019-0003

Review of Action: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Aircraft Dispute

To Whom It May Concern:

My name is ( ). I am writing today to ask the U.S. Trade Representative to remove the following items originating from any EU member states from both Annex I, the list of products currently subject to additional duties and from Annex II the list of products under consideration for additional duties in relation to the enforcement of U.S. WTO rights in the Large Civil Aircraft Dispute:

• Wine, other than Tokay (not carbonated), not over 14% alcohol in containers not over 2 Liters (HTS subheading 2204.21.50)
• Liqueurs and Cordials (HTS subheading 2208.70.00)
• Single malt Irish and Scotch whiskies (HTS subheading 2208.30.30)
• Sparkling Wine, made from grapes (HTS subheading 2204.10.00)
• Effervescent grape wine, in containers holding 2 liters or less (HTS subheading 2204.21.20)
• Grape wine, other than “Marsala”, not sparkling or effervescent, over 14% vol. alcohol, in containers holding 2 liters or less (HTS subheading 2204.21.80)
• Wine of fresh grapes of an alcoholic strength by volume <=14% in containers holding >10 liters (HTS subheadings 2204.22.60 and 2204.29.61)
• Wine of fresh grapes of an alcoholic strength by volume >14% in containers holding >10 liters (HTS subheadings 2204.22.80 and 2204.29.81)
• Grape brandy, excluding pisco and singani, in containers not over 4 liters, valued over $3.43/liter (HTS subheading 2208.20.40)
• Whiskies, other than Irish and Scotch whiskies (HTS subheading 2208.30.60)

Maintaining the duties on these products in Annex I and imposing additional duties on these products in Annex II will cause disproportionate economic harm to thousands of U.S. medium and small businesses and will result in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs in the U.S. In addition, these duties will adversely affect U.S. consumers by increasing prices and restricting access.

The wine & spirits industry is composed largely of small, entrepreneurial companies. They employ thousands of workers, from truckers to salespeople, and many of the employees are young, just getting their start in the world. They sustain thousands of small businesses, from wine shops to restaurants, who rely on their products to survive. The duties adopted in Annex I and proposed in Annex II will make these products untenable and decimate the U.S. wine and spirits industry, threatening the existence of these businesses and jobs.

While the U.S. produces both wine and spirits, these products are not direct replacements for the products outlined in Annex I and Annex II and do not represent a viable alternative for small and medium sized importers and distributors. U.S. based products originate from different agricultural and cultural material, produce different flavors and arrive to market at vastly different price points than product listed on Annex I and Annex II. In addition, U.S. production is not sufficient to offset the loss of available product from EU sources in a timeframe that would allow these business to continue operations.

The only potential path for survival for small and mid sized importers and distributors under the implementation of duties on Annex I and Annex II is to pass along the cost of duties to its retail and restaurant customers who will then have to pass along said costs to consumers. Ultimately consumers will pay more for these products and will have access to fewer market options. Whether the market for U.S. based companies will survive the increased cost created by duties on Annex I and Annex II products is uncertain.

Sincerely,

(name)

I submitted last week. Thank you.

I ll send a note to my representative in Congress about this. She owns a vineyard and really cares about this issue. I m sure of this. (Politics removed by admin)

We have actually had multiple threads on this, with numerous examples of potential letters.

Another one cannot hurt, but I would suggest something less clinical.

thanks, sent (clinical or not!)

p.s. The US Trade Representative does not answer to congressional representatives, only the president.

Good point here - maybe I’m just a cynic at this point but I don’t think we can amass enough interest among european wine lovers to reverse tariffs (misguided as they may be) that are meant to protect much more visible national industries… it’s a tough spot to be in but that’s this regime. Shiny stuff wins…

Thanks Emily!!
My take on the letter is that according to the person I spoke to at the USTR, each letter is read and categorized. The usage of form letters even though correct won’t sway the person in charge. They want your opinions and how it affects you. A copy the letter and paste is okay, but taking the time to pen something may make more impact. It is very easy to submit a letter or a comment!

What are the chances that our voices will actually be heard? And who makes the final decision?

Plenty of businesses are commenting as well.

Trump

Somebody with a love for only the best, particularly including American wines.

More likely Robert Lighthizer, but he is generally in agreement with he who must not be named. :wink:

Someone who does not drink, wonderful!

Yes, more correct. I spoke to the person in charge of Europe at the USTR a couple of days ago. He told me they are reading each letter (so please don’t send form letters), categorizing and reporting back to Lighthizer and he who must not be named (which, sorry I named him) and they would act according to how they saw fit. They DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE 13TH OF JAN TO START THE TARIFF. There is NO provision for hearings, There are NO provisions for exceptions based on company size etc. I’m screwed.

It’s sad, not just because of the damage to US businesses, but also because Lighthizer had been a respected expert on trade. He’s become a whore.

They will most certainly be seen, but whether they hold any sway is another matter altogether. I think if you mention potential (American) job losses it may hold more weight.

Gee, isn’t this getting political?? [snort.gif]

Perhaps too much. Sorry.

But then again, aren’t you the smug SOB as usual.

I think this is one of those areas where it affects most of the members of our community. It is difficult to discuss these tariffs apolitically when so many people here will have their livelihood affected in a very negative way, at the hands of a political entity.