US to spare some countries from tariffs on steel and aluminium, says commerce head

US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross told Bloomberg in an interview that some countries could get extended relief from steel and aluminium tariffs, although he didn’t mention any state.

He said the announcement will be made right before the May 1 deadline when the duties will be enforced.

Those countries that will get a preferential tax treatment were asked to accept in return import quotas for the tariff-free access of metals into the US.

President Donald Trump imposed the 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. However, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Mexico and South Korea got a temporary reprieve when the tariffs took effect in March.

The EU has attacked the additional taxes, saying it’s ready to apply retaliatory tariffs on USD 3.5 billion of imports from the US.