The administration of United States President Joe Biden announced on Friday that it was taking new actions to address the "significant increased abuse of the de minimis exemption," emphasizing Chinese e-commerce platforms and urging for congressional action.
The de minimis loophole allows shipments with a value of less than $800 to enter the US without being subjected to duties and taxes and without offering as much information as other imports. According to the press release, the Biden administration estimates that over the past ten years, the number of shipments claiming this exemption in a year has risen from around 140 million to over a billion, with the majority coming from "several China-founded e-commerce platforms."
The Biden administration stated that the new eligibility restrictions would exclude 70% of textile and apparel shipments from China already under tariffs, and the regulatory action would require more specific information from the de minimis shipments.
