Provide Accurate Data on US Tariffs or Scrap Them, says TIA

The Tire Industry Association is no fan of the US tariff on Chinese produced consumer tyres. The anniversary of the Obama administration’s implementation of the “punitive” tariff is at hand, and the TIA is marking the occasion by calling for an end to the tariff or the collection of accurate data regarding it. The association points out that the United States International Trade Commission is obliged under section 421 of the Trade Act of 1974 to collect accurate, objective data on the tariff's effects.

“Certain parties with a clear agenda are claiming they have data that demonstrates the success of the tariffs. We know that most of this data is, in reality, anecdotal, and we believe they are also distorting other data by obscuring critical details,” stated TIA executive vice president Roy Littlefield, adding: “TIA believes that if the President will not eliminate this punitive tariff, at the very least his administration owes the tyre industry an objective and accurate report that will specifically compare tyre imports from China to tyre imports from other Asian countries on a current-year versus previous-year basis, and to identify exactly which tyre lines are now being manufactured by US tyre makers.”

The TIA’s director of Government and Business Relations, Paul Fiore, says the association has a “compelling case” to take to the US Congress, and it intends to “keep the pressure” on the International Trade Commission until it is “comfortable” that the data collection process has been completed.