PPAI has joined with 21 associations representing diverse industries in a letter to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The letter voices strong opposition to any tariff increases on U.S. imports of consumer products, such as textiles, clothing, shoes, carpets and rugs, home goods, fashion accessories, sporting goods and travel goods from China.
The most recent proposed list of tariffs, covering $200 billion in imported products, include baseball caps and gloves, backpacks, handbags and other fashion accessories, and children’s products. The letter notes that “because China is the dominant, major, or only source of supply for many of these items, a 25 percent border tax would perversely impose maximum pain on the United States while leaving China relatively unscathed.”
The additional 25 percent in duties the tariffs would impose would cause the average family of four to pay an additional $500 to buy apparel, footwear and travel goods each year, the letter says, and would impact the jobs of the four million Americans currently employed in the U.S. apparel, footwear, travel goods and home goods industries.
The comment period for the third list of tariffs has closed, and the USTR is expected to release the finalized list of products, the rate of the tariffs and the effective date, soon. PPAI encourages industry professionals to contact their members of Congress and ask them to assert their oversight authority regarding these trade matters.