Whirlpool Claims Competitors Avoiding Duties on Home Appliances
American appliance manufacturer Whirlpool claimed that its competitors may be evading tariffs on imports of appliances, and the company has raised its concerns with the Trump administration. Whirlpool said that, according to customs data, the declared value of imported home appliances "dropped precipitously" as tariffs took effect, which it said "raises concerns of potential duty evasion."
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A spokesperson for the company said that it had complained to the Trump administration "at various levels," and had raised the issue with competitors, including Samsung, LG and GE Appliances. Whirlpool has not filed a formal complaint with the government at this time. The Wall Street Journal first reported the allegations.
GE demanded that Whirlpool retract what it called "unfounded claims" and said that the company had lodged "unsupported claims" with the Trump administration, "based essentially on guesswork." A spokesperson for the company said that the letter Whirlpool sent contained a list of Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes with associated import values that were "incorrect." GE said that Whirlpool's claims were based on aggregated import data, which cannot be used to determine import values for individual companies.
Daniel Calhoun, a Whirlpool adviser at Rock Creek Trade said that the company had expressed its concerns to the White House, the Commerce Department and CBP, and that "given the seriousness of this Administration’s commitment to effective tariff policies, we anticipate that any confirmed examples of duty evasion — including for IEEPA-based tariffs and section 232 steel tariffs — will be met with severe consequences." Calhoun was assistant chief counsel for enforcement and compliance at Commerce during the first Trump administration.
CBP, Samsung and LG didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.