The Trump administration on Friday night said they would exclude electronics as smartphones and laptops of “reciprocal” tariffs, a movement that could help keep prices for popular consumption electronics that are generally not carried out in the United States.
It would also benefit large technological companies such as Apple and Samsung and chips manufacturers such as NVIDIA.
Customs and border protection of the United States said that articles such as smartphones, laptops, hard drives, flat panel monitors and some chips would qualify for the exemption. The machines used to make semiconductors are also excluded. That means that they will not be subject to current 145% rates collected in China or 10% reference rates in other places.
Trump said previously that he would consider exempting some tariff companies.
The movement takes off “a huge cantilever from the black cloud for now on the technological sector and the pressure facing the great American technology,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Iives in a research note.
Neither Apple nor Samsung responded to a comment request at dawn on Saturday. Nvidia declined to comment.
Anderson writes for Associated Press.
