Global Apparel Industry Asking for Tariff Relief
American apparel, accessories, sporting goods and footwear importers, along with their partners around the globe, are asking all countries to defer duties for at least 180 days, and “[w]here appropriate, such as in the case of items of personal protective equipment or items used by lower income consumers, government should also suspend duties.” The request is in a letter, penned April 22 and signed by 65 organizations in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America that either produce apparel or import and sell it.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
“As businesses have closed, revenues and cash flow have dried up. The resulting liquidity squeeze has adversely hit many companies, their workers, and multiple layers of suppliers all around the world. Contracts are being canceled, workers are being furloughed, and factories and businesses are being closed,” they wrote. “With each passing day, this damage is compounding and harming more and more stakeholders. We need to coordinate and accelerate our efforts to limit and mitigate this damage, and make sure it is not irrevocable.”