Reacting to recent changes in American policy, Jamaica’s postal system this week suspended shipments of packages and parcels to the US, saying the temporary move will remain in effect until the situation becomes clearer.
The move by Jamaica Post followed the recent White House announcement that duty free treatment for such shipments will be abolished for countries worldwide from August 29th. The announcement was made by executive order 14324.
The previous exemptions that were in place in the US and commonly referred to as “de minimis” exemption, had catered for duty free treatment for packages worth less than $800 but postal services around the world say they will halt shipments for the time being until the situation is cleared up.
With the Friday deadline looming, postal agencies around the world, including many in Europe, say they will be forced to suspend shipments until the new tariff system is fully in place and until shippers know exactly what it will cost to land a package or parcel in a US destination. Jamaica Post said it had received formal notification from the US on Tuesday and is moving to act almost immediately.
So far, Jamaica is the first known Caribbean Community member nation to halt shipments. Others are expected to follow, officials said, because all will be affected in the same way as the Trump administration revamps the entire tariff tax importation system in the US.
In Europe, for example, the Germans, the Italians, the Swedes and the Danes have all reacted in unison, while larger courier services like DHL have made similar moves. The Australians say they have acted as well.
“Key questions remain unresolved, particularly regarding how and by whom customs duties will be collected in the future, what additional data will be required, and how the data transmission to the US Customs and Border Protection will be carried out,” DHL noted in a statement. The UK’s main postal system says it will join the others next week.
Even Bermuda in the mid-Atlantic and a colony of Britain, has joined postal agencies worldwide, saying in a statement that “postal operators worldwide are working to adapt to these new requirements. US Customs has not finalized guidance on how tariffs will be assessed or collected, and systems for processing these charges are still being developed,” it noted.
