Final Deadline – GSP & Travel Goods
Final Deadline – GSP & Travel Goods
TGA is leading efforts to get hundreds of companies to sign on to an industry letter urging President Obama to immediately issue a proclaim that U.S. imports of travel goods (including luggage, handbags, backpacks, tote bags, etc.) are duty-free from all countries under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program. The letter is in response to President Obama’s June 30 decision to proclaim duty-free treatment for travel goods for a very limited number of countries under GSP. That decision means that only travel goods imported from the “least-developed beneficiary developing countries” and African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) countries are now able to enter the U.S. duty-free. However, the President indefinitely delayed a decision on granting duty-free travel goods benefits to all other GSP beneficiary developing countries, including key sourcing countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. The only major travel goods supplier that benefits from the June 30 decision is Cambodia. TGA was very disappointed and surprised by the decision. We Need Your Company to Sign the Industry Letter! Over 80 organizations have signed the letter – but we’d like 100 or more to demonstrate our industry’s overwhelming support. The final deadline to add your company is Monday, 8/1. To sign the letter, or if you have questions, please contact TGA’s Nate Herman at nate@travel-goods.org or 202-853-9351.