讀後心得

U.S. President Trump imposed a 32% tariff on Taiwan, significantly impacting the Taiwanese machine tool industry. Industry players are concerned about the possibility of considering establishing factories in the United States. The Taichung City Government plans to set up a task force to provide consulting services to assist the affected industries and mitigate the impact. According to data, the United States accounts for 15.4% of Taiwan's machine tool exports, while the export to the U.S. from the hand tool industry reaches as high as 50%. The city government will proactively understand the needs and conduct research to address the impact of the tariffs.

The President of the United States announced a 32% tariff on Taiwan, significantly impacting Taiwan's machinery industry, especially the tool machine sector, which is facing severe challenges. Industry operators are calling on the government to resolve this issue promptly, or they will consider setting up factories in the United States. The Taichung City Government announced today that it will establish a "task force" and provide a dedicated consultation service aimed at actively understanding the situation of operators affected, assisting the industry in overcoming difficulties.

The founding chairman of the Taiwan Tool Machine and Components Association stated that the high tax rates imposed by the U.S. on Taiwan have seriously harmed the tool machine industry, as many Taiwanese tool machine manufacturers are OEMs and are financially unable to effectively cope with this impact. He hopes the government will recognize the seriousness of the issue and actively negotiate with the U.S. to lower the tax rates; otherwise, his group will have to consider establishing factories in the United States.

The Department of Economic Development of Taichung City pointed out that the Executive Yuan recently held a tariff response briefing and officially launched the export supply chain support program on April 8th. The city government will continue to monitor all assistance programs from the central government and establish a task force to help connect with central resources, reducing the impact on the industry due to the U.S. tariff increase.

The Department mentioned that Taichung's export-oriented manufacturing sector will be the first to be affected, especially since more than 300 manufacturers in the city target the U.S. and European markets, and the export of intermediate goods has also been severely hit. According to data, last year the total export value of Taiwan's tool machines was approximately 2.218 billion USD, with the U.S. being the second largest export market at 341 million USD, accounting for 15.4% of total exports. Additionally, exports of key components to the U.S. also accounted for 7% of total exports.

The Department emphasized that Taichung is a major hub for Taiwan's tool machine industry, with the total export value of Taiwan's hand tools expected to be around 3.78 billion USD in 2024, of which exports to the U.S. are expected to account for about 50%, around 1.89 billion USD. The U.S. imposing a 32% heavy tax directly affects our price competitiveness in the U.S. The city government, in addition to proactively understanding the needs of associations and factory representatives, will also commission think tanks to conduct project studies to formulate response measures.