Apple Re-Asserts Plea For Tariff Relief On AirPods, iPhone Components, Apple Watch

Apple is officially asking the Trump administration for more exemptions on tariffs that started last Sept 2019 as part of the recent US-China trade war. The company’s latest formal requests intends for another round of exemptions that this time includes Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone components, and more from the ongoing 15 percent duties, reports Bloomberg. Over the past weeks, the Cupertino-based tech giant has mixed success in achieving the approval of the US Trade Representative’s office (USTR) to give the green light on its tariff waivers for products and components that are developed and made in China.

Now, Apple has submitted more requests to the office of the USTR, seeking an exemption from the current 15 percent tariffs on iMac, Apple Watch, and several other iPhone components. The official request was made for 11 products and parts. Apple states that the reason for its appeal is that it could not find another source outside China that could meet the US demand for these components or products.

Earlier, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook stated that the company is already paying tariffs on some of its products. The exclusion decision depends on whether the product is only available from China, whether duties will affect economic stability to the US company or US interests, or if it is strategically significant or associated with the industrial programs of the Chinese. Apple also made similar requests for relief from 25 percent tariff duties on $200 billion worth of goods impost in 2018.

The US Trade Representative’s office approved tariff waivers on 10 parts of the Mac Pro computer but denied approval on excluding the five Chinese-made components of the product. In September, Apple announced that it would assemble new Mac Pro computers at an Apple plant located in Austin, Texas, that has been in operation since 2013.

During the company’s earnings call, Tim Cook said that the company is hopeful that China and the US will soon resolve the current trade dispute. While he admitted that he does not know every chapter of the book, the Apple CEO said that it would happen eventually, hoping that it could be resolved during this quarter.