Small packages, big questions: Valuing the de minimis exemption

The United States allows international shipments with a fair market value of $800 or less to enter the country duty free. US Customs and Border Protection (CPB) processes about 4 million of these de minimis shipments a day, up from 2.8 million a day last year. Federal lawmakers are considering legislation that would significantly alter or eliminate the de minimis exemption.   

Our expert panel will discuss why de minimis shipments are permitted, how CPB manages the program, and why its use has grown. They will explore the value of de minimis for small businesses, the consequences for American family budgets if it is eliminated, its relation to trade tensions with China and concerns about its use as a pathway for unsafe goods and narcotics. 

MODERATOR 

Mary E. Lovely 
Anthony M. Solomon Senior Fellow, PIIE

SPEAKERS 
Gary Clyde Hufbauer
Nonresident Senior Fellow, PIIE 

Amit K. Khandelwal 
Dong-Soo Hahn Professor of Global Affairs and Economics, Yale University (will join remotely) 

Todd C. Owen 
President, Cross Border Advisory Network, LLC; Former Executive Assistant Commissioner for Field Operations, CBP