Trump doubles down on closing tax loophole on cheap imports

TAIPEI – Hours after the Supreme Court struck down a significant portion of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, the White House announced that another key pillar of his trade agenda will remain in place: the end of a policy that had allowed billions of dollars of low-value imports to enter the United States tax-free. That policy, known as the de minimis exemption, had let US importers bring in goods valued at less than US$800 (S$1,013) without the sender paying taxes or completing detailed customs paperwork. The loophole allowed millions of packages to come straight from Chinese factories to American homes…