Discussions about trade often present a false dichotomy: if exports are good and then imports must be bad. This oversimplified view lends itself to policy prescriptions that encourage exporters and discourage importers, yet the real world is much more complicated. According to the Census Bureau’s 2013-2014 Profile of U.S. Importing and Export...
Continue readingLike the jobs debate, many people assume that if exports are goods for US manufacturers, imports must be bad. When it comes to GSP, nothing could further from the truth. Raw materials, components, and parts have accounted for more than 70 percent of GSP imports since the program expired. Though industrial tariffs tend to be...
Continue readingBased on data released last week, continued GSP expiration cost American importers another $41 million in February 2015. Despite a significant drop from typical monthly levels (likely on account of the West Coast Port slowdown), it was the most expensive month yet for companies in Iowa in terms of tariffs paid because of GSP expiration....
Continue reading