The additional 25 percent tariffs on winter sports products proposed by the U.S. federal government would be mainly passed on to U.S. consumers, said an official with U.S. snow sports trade association Snowsports Industries America (SIA).
The U.S. government is holding week-long hearings on imposing as much as 25 percent tariffs on 300 billion U.S. dollars of goods imported from China each year.
Jackets, footwear, ski boots, ski helmets and more products involving winter sports are covered in the possible new round of tariffs, Chris Steinkamp, director of communications and marketing of the SIA told Xinhua Saturday.
The United States has imposed additional tariffs a few months ago on gloves, knit hats, sports bags and others winter sports items, Steinkamp said.
The U.S. consumers have already paid an extra 1.1 billion dollars in tariffs on outdoor products in the last 12 months, according to a recent study by Outdoor Industry Association of the United States.
"We'll see the real impact when winter sports products arrive in shops in the fall," said Steinkamp.
The SIA and its multiple members are attending the hearings in Washington D.C. together with other industry associations and company representatives, according to Steinkamp.
Earlier, the SIA's President Nick Sargent has strongly urged the U.S. government to avoid imposing new tariffs by continuing discussions with China and called on its members to call, write, tweet, or visit members of the Congress in addition to writing opposite editorials and collecting signatures on a letter to U.S. Trade Representative.
The sales of equipment and apparel through the U.S. snow sports retail channels totaled 6.3 billion dollars for the 2018-2019 season, according to a U.S. snow industry retail market report by research firm NPD Group.
