Fairer Trade, Removing Gender Bias in US Import Taxes
Date
2015-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mosbacher Institute for Trade, Economics & Public Policy
Abstract
Tariff rates on most articles of imported apparel and footwear are classified by the gender of the intended user, and for some items the rates differ. In this issue of The Takeaway the authors describe the discriminatory impact that gender-based tariffs have on consumers – primarily women. Even though for some gender-classified goods the tariff is higher on menswear, for some lower, and for some there is no difference, the authors have calculated that overall the tariffs paid on imported clothing are higher for women than for men. The authors argue that tariffs, in general, hurt competition and lead to higher prices; that gender-based tariffs have a discriminatory impact on consumers; and that tariffs on apparel and footwear harm American consumers. They offer a few solutions, including eliminating the tariffs altogether, and strongly maintain that differential taxation of apparel based on gender cannot be defended and should be abolished.
Description
Keywords
import tariffs, gender bias, US apparel