NEWS RELEASES
Outdoor Industry Association Calls For An End To Trade War With China
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through Outdoor Industry Association's website.
The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced that escalation of the U.S.-China trade war could increase the punitive tariff on $250 billion worth of products from China on Lists 1-3 from 25 to 30 percent beginning Oct. 1 and increase the tariff on the $300 billion worth of products on List 4 from 10 to 15 percent on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15, in response to China’s announcement of tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. exports. “Enough with the shoot-from-the-hip trade war tactics. This last-minute tit-for-tat escalation of tariffs is hurting our consumers and businesses,” Patricia Rojas-Ungar, vice president of government affairs at OIA, said in a statement. “Real trade negotiations need to begin in earnest.”
Rojas-Ungar says outdoor industry businesses are being forced to cut staff or even go out of business due to the tariffs. She urges companies to make use of an exclusion process for products on List 3, including backpacks, sports bags, kayaks, camp chairs and stoves, leather ski gloves and bikes. Stakeholders can file a petition by Sept. 30 to exempt products from the punitive tariff for one year and receive a refund of duties paid before September 2018. The OIA expects a similar exclusion process to be set up for List 4, which includes all outdoor apparel and footwear, tents, sleeping bags and other sporting goods, as early as mid-October. The Sept. 1 list and the Dec. 15 list are both available online.
The OIA has posted a webinar on how to file a petition for exemption.