The imposition of a 107 percent U.S. import tax on Italian pasta could cause prices of the beloved staple to rise, or in some cases become harder to find, sending Italian-Americans and individuals across cultures into a panic, as the Trump administration considers the new import duty on 13 of Italy’s largest pasta exporters.
The proposal, which was published by the Commerce Department, would see the inclusion of a 92 percent antidumping duty after a U.S. government probe found that some Italian pasta brands were selling their products below U.S. market prices. If combined with the existing 15 percent tariff on European Union imports, the total duties on Italian-made pasta could rise to 107 percent, one of the highest import duty rates on any products.
Further to limiting consumer choice, as it stands, the United States lacks the domestic manufacturing capacity to meet demand without Italian products, which could also sway decision makers away from the proposal, which is not yet signed into effect. However, the threat alone is making the market less attractive to some Italian pasta manufacturers, who are considering pulling out of the market by January.
A White House spokesperson told CBS News that the companies in question failed to adhere to multiple data requests from the Commerce Department, a probe that dates back to the mid-1990s.
According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, last year, pasta imported from Italy was valued at $684 million, value that American pasta makers believe comes from undercutting them on price.
