The U.S. charges tariff on button accordions, but not piano accordions

[SteveBox]

On two occasions I have purchased a CBA from another country and paid import duty. I was curious what the rate is and found it in Chapter 92 of the "Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 1" (Harmonized?? Sounds like it would be musical.)



It is curious that the importing of piano accordions is favored by the US Government, with no duty being charged. Only guessing, but since piano accordions are much more popular is the US than the button type, perhaps this is due to lobbying by accordion importers?

Note that the above is the tariff for most countries, but there are a few for which all accordions are duty free or charged at 40%, but those countries do not seem to include the ones where most accordions are manufactured.

 

[noelekal]

How weird is that?!

 

[losthobos]

Not that weird....consider that there would never have been piano accordions until the American schools decided that was the only way an accordion could be marketable and understandable...hence the shift from continental button accordion to piano even with the great Leon Sash playing a CBA disguised as a piano accordion to get pass the censors of the day...

 

[losthobos]

Fintopiano accordion.... gorgeous...CBA. Disguised as piano accordion...
Leon Sash was a master...blind .. accompanied by his wife on bass...
If you can hear Live at Newport your appreciation of the accordion will change forever...

 

[dak]

On two occasions I have purchased a CBA from another country and paid import duty. I was curious what the rate is and found it in Chapter 92 of the "Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 1" (Harmonized?? Sounds like it would be musical.)

It is curious that the importing of piano accordions is favored by the US Government, with no duty being charged. Only guessing, but since piano accordions are much more popular is the US than the button type, perhaps this is due to lobbying by accordion importers?

Well, bandonions are on the list of locally endangered instruments in their South American habitats (not least of all since they don't breed well in captivity far away from their German home country) and you cannot expect a customs officer to distinguish one squeezebox with buttons on it from another. Piano keys at least are kind of obvious.

Or this is from the time of silent movie's decline when the main employment one could think of for all the fired theatre organ players was to reeducate them into piano accordion instructors. A button accordion, in contrast, does not really meet a need of the labor market.

 

[CC_PDX]

On two occasions I have purchased a CBA from another country and paid import duty. I was curious what the rate is and found it in Chapter 92 of the "Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States Revision 1" (Harmonized?? Sounds like it would be musical.)



It is curious that the importing of piano accordions is favored by the US Government, with no duty being charged. Only guessing, but since piano accordions are much more popular is the US than the button type, perhaps this is due to lobbying by accordion importers?

Note that the above is the tariff for most countries, but there are a few for which all accordions are duty free or charged at 40%, but those countries do not seem to include the ones where most accordions are manufactured.

Good to know! I’ve been charged that higher rate twice now. Maybe time for some poetic license on naming on the next invoice.

 

[Big Squeezy Accordions]

I learned this about 25 years ago when I lived in northern Vermont and was taking accordion lessons in Montreal. I had bought a Brandoni from my teacher a couple of months before and had gone through the border numerous times since then when I was stopped and questioned by US customs about where I had gotten my accordion. When I told them I had bought it in Montreal a few months earlier, they became very serious and I was told I could be in a lot of trouble for failing to declare it, but they were willing to let it go as an honest mistake by a young person. I would just have to pay several hundred dollars duty. I walked back to the ATM at the duty free shop on the Canadian side and took out the money. When I returned to US customs, they were scrutinizing a large book. "By any chance, is that a piano accordion?" I was asked. Yes it was. I played them a little song and they let me go.

 

[Ignacchitti]

While that is surprising, what surprises me the most is how small the tariffs are (2.6%) compared to how high they are over here in Brazil. Usually the federal tax is around 50%, then on top of it there is a state tax of around 30%. Over the price of the instrument + the price of shipping.

 

[Big Squeezy Accordions]

While that is surprising, what surprises me the most is how small the tariffs are (2.6%) compared to how high they are over here in Brazil. Usually the federal tax is around 50%, then on top of it there is a state tax of around 30%. Over the price of the instrument + the price of shipping.

It must have been more at one time, as I remember it being at least a couple hundred dollars for a $2000 accordion, before learning that I wouldn't have to pay because it had piano keys.

 

[dak]

While that is surprising, what surprises me the most is how small the tariffs are (2.6%) compared to how high they are over here in Brazil. Usually the federal tax is around 50%, then on top of it there is a state tax of around 30%. Over the price of the instrument + the price of shipping.

"federal tax" and "state tax" sound like they would apply even if you bought the instrument in-country, like a sales tax. The tariffs are on top then; the sales tax is just for not letting you take advantage of buying elsewhere. On the plus side, if you paid sales tax to some other country for the imported item, you can typically recover it with a proper declaration.

At least that's the way it works over here in Germany. And you get lots of fun with forms and stuff.

 

[Ignacchitti]

"federal tax" and "state tax" sound like they would apply even if you bought the instrument in-country, like a sales tax.

The federal and state taxes of 50% and 30% that I mentioned are for imported items only, in the case of Brazil. They are meant to make you avoid importing things and to encourage you to purchase only in-country, national products. So that your country's industry can have a chance to grow.
Sorry about the confusion between the terms tax and tariff, I am freely translating from Brazilian Portuguese and over here the term "taxa" can be used for imports

 

[dunlustin]

Rumour has it that the import penalty on button accordions was to deter/penalise un-American Activity.
I believe that the answer to the Speakeasy in the Accordion World was the Finto-PA: a ploy to disguise the unpatriotic foreigner- it is said that the most famous player was a man called McCarthy?

 

[SteveBox]

The 2.6% does not seem like enough to deter any activity. That is really not much, and lower than most state's sales tax. The strange thing is that piano and button accordions are different. By my experience, the shipping carrier will charge you a customs processing fee on top of this duty, so you will effectively pay more than the 2.6%.

If you are deterred from buying that button accordion, the tariff schedule says that bagpipes are free! Maybe that would be a lower cost way to annoy the neighbors.