The U.S. Tariff System Experienced a Sudden Malfunction, Lasting Over 10 Hours Before Recovery

On April 11 local time, the US Customs and Border Protection issued an alert stating that a code related to tariff exemptions had malfunctioned. The Customs and Border Protection indicated that the malfunction was repaired after lasting for more than 10 hours. It is reported that the malfunctioning code could exempt all in-transit goods this week that should not be affected by the new tariff policy of the Trump administration. When the malfunction occurred, the "Automated Commercial Environment" system of US Customs was unable to apply the lower 10% tax rate to goods that met the in-transit conditions and were submitted after April 9. Several US importers stated that many importers found it difficult to "figure out when the new tariffs would be implemented" and to make corresponding plans. Against the backdrop of uncertainty and concerns caused by the tariff policy, this incident is the latest blow to US cargo owners and the supply chain. It has also raised questions about the ability of US Customs to implement Trump's new tariff policy.