Trump Ends Import Tax Exemptions for Small Items

President Donald Trump wants to close a loophole he claims allowed people to evade tariffs and funnel deadly synthetic opioids into the U.S. market. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

President Donald Trump broadly ended the de minimis exemption that allowed people to buy low-value imported items without paying duty and import taxes.

Trump said he was ending the exemption to close a loophole that allowed people to evade tariffs and funnel deadly synthetic opioids to the U.S. market. He said that the shipments were “killing Americans and hurting U.S. businesses,” but did not provide details.

Starting Aug. 29, imported items that are valued at or under $800 will now be subject to all applicable taxes and duties. The majority of such packages are shipped from China and Hong Kong. Trump had earlier ended the exemption for goods from those areas.

Trump claims shippers have been exploiting the de minimis exemption because such packages typically draw less scrutiny.

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