Snowsports Industries America Testifies Against Tariffs

This week, Snowsports Industries America (SIA) testified at a hearing at the International Trade Commission in Washington DC, urging the commission to reconsider their approach to the List 4 tariffs currently proposed on over $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.

The proposed list includes over 296 HTS codes referencing products produced by SIA members, slated for up to a 25% tariff if enacted. These products include; performance outerwear, ski boots, gloves and mittens, footwear, safety headwear, skis and bindings, sweaters, snowshoes, ice skates, sleds and toboggans. Nick Sargent, SIA’s President said of the proposed tariffs “these punitive tariffs are impacting every facet of our industry, and will be one more economic challenge facing American consumers.”

Chris Steinkamp, SIA’s Director of Marketing and Communications, spoke to the panel on behalf of the SIA members. “Since the announcement of these tariffs in May, we’ve spoken to many of our members and in every single case, from the large manufacturers to the small and medium sized retailers, I heard a great deal of concern. These products represent their livelihoods and I’m here on their behalf to communicate this concern to you,” said Steinkamp.

During the presentation, Steinkamp illustrated that the impacts that the proposed tariffs could have on SIA members – emphasizing the fact that these tariffs are ultimately a tax on consumers and that with tight margins throughout the industry, could result in layoffs and closed businesses across the snow sports industry. “There are too many businesses where an added 25% to the price of these goods means bankruptcy and layoffs, from large and small manufacturers to small, family-owned shops, the backbone of our industry. We cannot do business like this,” he said.

The hearings were an opportunity for a total of 370 businesses and trade associations to speak directly to the commission about the impacts of the tariffs on their specific industries. Other winter sports brands 
that testified during the two-week hearing schedule include: VF Corp, Head USA, K2 Sports, 
Krimson Klover, Columbia Sportswear and Burton.

A final decision on the proposed list could be announced in the next two weeks.

For the full transcript of SIA’s testimony, please visit: www.snowsports.org/tariff-action-page/