Thank you for your continued support of International Countertop Consultants. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Transhipping materials to avoid Anti-Dumping Tariffs is illegal. ICC wants you to know what to expect before you make your next countertop buyout decision.
Countertop Anti-Dumping Tariffs Penalties
Civil and Criminal Penalties: Penalties for businesses circumventing anti-dumping laws can be crippling. Circumvention of tariffs can result in penalties from United States Customs & Border Protection. Criminal liability may also be assessed under certain circumstances.
Customs can impose penalties for such acts as fraud, gross negligence, and ordinary negligence (19 U.S.C. §1592). A list of companies conducting this illegal activity is maintained by the United States government.
It’s important to note that many unscrupulous countertop vendors will transship under ancillary or aliased business names. This can make it difficult to track down if your countertop vendor is an offender.
| 19 U.S.C. §1592: If an importer makes false statements in order to avoid dumping duties, and thus fails to pay amounts that are legitimately owed, CBP can impose penalties that equal the commercial value of the merchandise itself, in addition to collecting the underpaid or unpaid duties. Separately, importers can be liable for civil and/or criminal penalties for “conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States” (18 U.S.C. §371), and for making false statements or entries generally (18 U.S.C. §1001). These penalties are the most significant that CBP can impose and can easily add up to amounts that far exceed the value of the imported goods. |
Impact of Countertop Tariffs
ICC takes anti-dumping and countervailing compliance very seriously, and so should you. The US Government and the Department of Homeland Security has stopped hundreds of containers from entering the country without proper paperwork.
We’ve seen general contractors forced to pause projects resulting in delays and cost overruns. Contractors are left to pony up big time. Project delays result in missed deadlines where the contractor comes out of pocket to pay fines, face litigation, and even possibly go bankrupt.
| The Rockheads Group January 2022 Update: Transhipping Chinese Quartz through Malaysia impacted several projects in the USA, resulting in subcontractors being put on Notice and hiring a new subcontractor. Please see the attached document showing containers costing the subcontractor 4x the cost of the material invoice resulting in the subcontractor going bankrupt. |
Countertop Transhipment Fines
Don’t get nailed with Anti-Dumping fines and contract performance back charges due to long lead material delays. Below is an example of a Quartz countertop container seized at the US Port in November 2021.
The shipment invoice value below was USD $9,556.00. The Anti-Dumping fee charged on the container was USD $31,199.51. The countervailing cost of the container was USD $4,335.31.
Commercial Countertop Experts
Nick Began is International Countertop Consultants’ CEO and founder of the Rockheads Group. ICC’s team of expert estimators, logistic coordinators, and project managers ensure your project stays on time and within budget.
International Countertop Consultants is in a unique position to utilize the research and buying power of our network of the country’s top countertop fabricators and installation teams. ICC is a leader in commercial countertop fabrication and installation.
VALUE ENGINEERING: Our client’s objectives are our priority. Let our team show you how to incorporate our strategies to lower costs and stick to the strictest of timelines.
TRADE COMPLIANCE: International Countertop Consultants utilizes market leading trade compliance specialist Vigilant Global Trade Compliance to ensure that all imported materials have the proper compliance & source of origin documentation.
Over the last 22 years, ICC’s track record has allowed the company to supply and install over 270,000 countertop apartment units successfully. ICC does not tranship.
Avoid costly mistakes and delays. Trust our years of experience. Contact the Countertop Experts at ICC by giving me a call (216) 714-1070.
I am proud and honored to say ICC does not tranship.