Reintroduced Bill Would Require Study of Regressivity, Gender Bias in Tariff Code
Reps. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., and Lizzie Fletcher, D-Texas, re-introduced a bill that would require the Treasury Department to study to what degree the tariff system is regressive, or hurts lower-income consumers more than more well-off consumers, and to what extent women's apparel faces higher tariffs than men's apparel.
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"These costs can add up fast -- especially for working moms and families -- and Trump’s reckless trade war threatens to drive these prices up even more and hurt regular people who are already struggling to make ends meet. This legislation takes an important step forward in addressing gender inequalities in our tariff system and making sure women don’t unfairly face higher prices than men," Pettersen said in a press release announcing the introduction this week.
Fletcher said in the release, "While often hidden from public view, tariffs have a significant impact on the prices Americans pay in stores every day. Women disproportionately pay, on average, three percent more in tariffs than men, but the difference is sometimes even greater. Now, as President Trump has imposed tariffs and started a trade war with our trading partners, it is even more important that we understand how higher tariffs will raise costs for everyone, and women in particular."
Ed Gresser, vice president and director for trade and global markets at the Progressive Policy Institute, who endorses the bill, has written that women's apparel is taxed on average at 16.7%, 2.9 percentage points higher than the 13.6% average for men's apparel. The same blog post noted that only 12% of imported apparel -- and almost all apparel is imported -- comes in under trade preference programs or free trade agreements.
Gresser said in the release he hopes the study leads to a fairer system.