OIA Reacts To Tariff News

Rich Harper of the Outdoor Industry Association issued a statement regarding President Trump’s decision to impose $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports. Here it is:

President Trump moved forward today with plans to impose $200 billion in retaliatory tariffs on certain products from China.

Travel goods, including backpacks and sports bags, bikes, headwear, some leather gloves and some camping equipment, were included on the list of products that could face an additional 10 percent tariff that will come into effect on September 24, rising to 25 percent on January 1, 2019. You can find a full list of products here.

Once the tariffs come into effect, the administration will release details on a process for companies to file petitions to remove products from that list. OIA will share details of that process when they are available.

“Outdoor products such as bikes, gloves and backpacks already face import tariffs as high as 20 percent, and these additional taxes will only raise costs for outdoor companies and consumers, hamper innovation and job growth and prevent more Americans from getting outdoors,” said Amy Roberts, OIA’s executive director.

The United States has already imposed $50 billion worth of tariffs on imports from China, and this latest list would bring the tariffs to a total of $250 billion. China has imposed tariffs of its own on U.S. exports and has promised to respond in kind to this latest round of tariffs. President Trump has indicated he will seek another $267 billion in tariffs if China retaliates that, combined with the first three rounds of tariffs, would cover almost all products out of China.

OIA and outdoor companies actively participated in the public comment period in opposition to new tariffs leading up to the president’s decision. While we were unable to remove outdoor products from the final list, we continue to engage the administration and members of Congress in an effort to protect outdoor companies and consumers from these higher costs.