Trump's Tariff Bombardment Keeps Companies Guessing

Shara Aranoff’s commentary was included in a Law360 article exploring how President Donald Trump's reciprocal tariffs will impact U.S. importers and the costs those companies will face as a result.

Shara said companies are trying to determine if any decisions about where to source goods "can be insulated from tariffs," as many businesses are focusing more on mitigating the consequences of Trump's latest actions.

"[Companies] are exploring duty-savings tools available to them under the customs laws, including Chapter 98, first sale, and other permissible valuation adjustments," Shara said. "They are revising purchasing contracts to allocate tariff risks. Smart importers are tuning up their import compliance internal controls because failure to accurately pay these new tariffs could result in substantial penalties down the road."