U.S. Forfeits Duty-Free Treatment for 573 Items from Thailand Worth $1.5Bn under GSP
U.S. has forfeited duty-free treatment for 573 items from Thailand worth $1.5Bn under GSP due to failure to reform its labour rights.
The U.S. has forfeited 573 imported items from Thailand for duty free treatment under the US Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). Importers are facing around 1,500 million dollars in total for the additional import duties.
The U.S. urged the Thai government to reform its labour rights for the last six years and announced last October that the GSP for 573 items would be forfeit in the next six months, which fell on April 25, 2020.
The US Trade Representative’s office pointed out that Thailand has yet to take a step closer to the reform, especially the fishery industry, notorious for slave-labour conditions and human trafficking.
Mr. Keerati Rushchano, Director General Department of Foreign Trade, stated that out of 573 items, Thailand only claimed the duty-free exemption for 315 items worth 1,500 million baht of import duty.
