No reprieve for Apple on 25 percent tariffs
Apple Inc. was denied relief for tariffs on five Chinese-made components for the upcoming Mac Pro computer, even after the company announced that it was keeping some assembly operations in the U.S.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s office refused to grant a reprieve from 25 percent tariffs on the optional wheels for Apple’s Mac Pro, a circuit board for managing input and output ports, power adapter, charging cable and a cooling system for the computer’s processor.
The decisions, posted Monday, come about a week after Apple announced it would make new Mac Pro computers in Austin after originally considering shifting production to China. The move followed an announcement last month that the U.S. trade office had agreed to Apple’s request for tariff waivers on 10 of 15 Chinese parts.
President Donald Trump on Monday linked on his Twitter account to a Fox Business story about Apple’s plans in Texas and praised the company for supporting U.S. jobs.
“Great news! @Apple announced that it is building its new Mac Pro in Texas. This means hundreds of American jobs in Austin and for suppliers across the Country. Congratulations to the Apple team and their workers!” the president tweeted Monday.
Apple said it didn’t have any comment beyond last week’s announcement.