New tariffs would cost shoe importers an extra $1 bi - leatherbiz: Lea Leatherbiz

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New tariffs would cost shoe importers an extra $1 billion

13/12/2019
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) wrote to US president, Donald Trump, on December 12 to emphasise the need for an agreement with China to eliminate tariffs that are currently in place on goods trading between the two countries, and to remove the threat of additional tariffs scheduled to take effect on December 15.

AAFA chief executive, Rick Helfenbein, said in the letter that the trade dispute with China, which began in 2018, had “caused severe damage” to companies, workers and consumers in the US. He said member companies had made it clear to the AAFA that tariffs on goods they import from China have resulted in “extraordinary costs” and created “enormous problems”.

According to AAFA calculations, 53% of footwear imports into the US from China have been affected by a 15% tariff that came into effect on September 1, 2019. AAFA has estimated that if the new December 15 tariffs go through, footwear importers will face additional costs of more than $1 billion per year. It said imports of handbags, wallets, leather garments and other accessories from China have faced tariffs of 25% since September 2018.

A campaign group called Tariffs Hurt the Heartland has estimated that, in total, the US-China trade dispute has so far cost US consumers more than $40 billion.

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