USFIA Advocacy Priority: Supporting Global Trade by Eliminating Tariffs & Opening Markets

The United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA) is dedicated to supporting fashion made possible by global trade.

American families pay unnecessarily high taxes on everything they wear. While the average duty on manufactured products is 2 percent, tariffs on clothing and footwear, including clothing for children and babies, can be as high as 32 percent for clothing and 65 percent for footwear. The elimination of these regressive taxes on American families—and lower prices—would be the best economic stimulus program we have ever seen.

Free Trade Agreements and preference programs have a positive impact on the fashion industry global value chain, on U.S. jobs, and on American consumers. USFIA supports trade negotiations that will eliminate textile, apparel, and footwear tariffs, as well as eliminate technical and administrative barriers through regulatory convergence. In addition, USFIA supports negotiation of trade agreements with the goal to shift to 21st-century rules and improved market access for apparel and footwear.

Other trade policy priorities include cumulation for existing Free Trade Agreements, expanding the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) to apparel and footwear, and supporting duty-suspension petitions filed at the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Below, you’ll find some of USFIA’s recent advocacy activities to support global trade, eliminate tariffs, and open markets.