Hugevictory for pasta lovers with Trump admin set to drastically cut planned tariffs

The Trump administration is giving pasta lovers cause to rejoice as it moves to drastically slash punishing proposed tariffs on Italian spaghetti, penne and more just before they were set to take effect this month.A Commerce Department website indicated the feds are poised to scale back proposed duties of 107% after a recent government review spared major Italian exporters from a looming trade shock.The department announced the painful levies on 13 Italian pasta makers in September, saying they’d be hit with 92% tariffs on top of the US’ baseline levy of 15% on most European Union goods.Washington accused the penne purveyors of unfair trade practices at the time, saying the baker’s dozen worth of companies had been underselling the competition in the US — and sparking fears that stores would pull imported Italian pasta from shelves or steeply raise prices.But after a “post-preliminary analysis” found “Italian pasta makers have addressed many of Commerce’s concerns,” according to a spokesperson, the proposed tariff on La Molisana was cut to just 2.26% while Garofalo’s rate was lowered to 13.98%.Commerce did not examine the other 11 producers — Agritalia, Aldino, Antiche Tradizioni Di Gragnano, Barilla, Gruppo Milo, Pastificio Artigiano Cav.Giuseppe Cocco, Pastificio Chiavenna, Pastificio Liguori, Pastificio Sgambaro, Pastificio Tamma and Rummo — on a case-by-case basis.

Instead, they’re set to get a revised tariff of 9.09%.The recent analysis of the companies’ trade practices “reflects Commerce’s commitment to a fair, transparent process,” a spokesperson for the department said in a Thursday statement to The Post.“Commerce will continue to engage with interested parties to take into account all information before issuing the final determination.”A final decision on the new tariffs is scheduled to come out March 16, with a possible extension of 60 days, according to Commerce.Italy’s foreign ministry called the outcome a signif...