As long as we keep receiving copies of emails sent to Congressional trade staffers through our Email Yours Senators and Email Your Representatives pages, we’ll post excerpts that effectively tell the story of GSP expiration, so please coming them coming.
Here are some of the latest sent by…
A small business in Illinois to their Representative: “A large portion of our business is in the sale of raw aspirin, which we had previously imported duty-free under GSP. Now, with a 6.5% duty, we cannot sell at our previously established price and maintain a profit after overhead.
Our business is small, family-owned and family-run, and the success of our business directly affects the maintenance of our house and home. For us to maintain our business in its current capacity, we need for GSP to be renewed for 2011 and onwards.”
A small manufacturer in Ohio to their Senators: “GSP expiration has cost more than $275,000 in new tariffs on imports of plastic resin. Without these imports, we would be unable to keep our manufacturing at a level that will help the company be profitable and continue to employ our 55 workers. We are unable to source enough of this material domestically to keep our plant at full capacity.“
A small business in Arizona to their Senator: “We are very proud to supply to 5,000 US customers (shops, galleries and museums) around the country, but we lost close to 30% of our customers due to the economy and another 10% due to our increasing costs.”
A customs broker in South Carolina to their Senator: “GSP expiration has diminished import traffic and entries processed by my Customs brokerage business in Charleston. Many of my customers have stopped shipping, and been forced to put operations on hold until renewal of this important trade agreement.”
