Overall, the value of GSP imports increased by 9 percent and the value of GSP tariff savings increased by 14 percent compared to June 2015. Some states, such as Florida and Kansas, saw much larger increases in GSP imports and savings compared to June 2015, as shown in the graphic below.

In Florida, GSP imports and savings both increased by about 50 percent compared to one year earlier. Ferroalloys from Georgia, jewelry from Bolivia, and plywood from Ecuador all contributed to Florida’s GSP increases.

In Kansas, GSP imports increased by 28 percent and savings from GSP by 53 percent compared to one year earlier. Pesticides from India, ceramic sanitary fixtures (sinks, tubs, toilets, etc.) from Thailand, and building stone from Brazil contributed most to Kansas’ GSP increases.

Imports from the Ukraine nearly doubled, led by increased imports of rare gases by companies in South Carolina. GSP eliminated about $560,000 in import taxes on truck tires in June, with more than $200,000 saved on imports into New Jersey alone.

If your company imports under GSP, be sure to answer our GSP renewal impacts survey here.

Overall, GSP tariff savings increased increased by 31 percent compared to February 2015. The value of imports under GSP increased 30 percent. These sharp increases reflect abnormally low imports in February 2015 on account of the the West Coast port strikes.

Some states, including those not affected by the 2015 strikes such as Pennsylvania and Virginia, saw ever bigger increases in GSP imports and savings compared to February 2015, as shown in the graphic below.

In Pennsylvania, GSP imports increased by 52 percent and savings from GSP by 63 percent compared to one year earlier. Primary form plastics and pencils/crayons from Brazil, ferrochromium (a raw material for steel manufacturing) from Zimbabwe, and candy confections from Thailand contributed most to Pennsylvania’s GSP increases.

In Virginia, GSP imports increased by 39 percent and savings from GSP by 52 percent compared to one year earlier. Ceramic tableware and kitchenware from Indonesia, steering wheels and columns from India, and iron oxides from Brazil contributed most to Virginia’s GSP increases.

Imports from Uruguay jumped by 102 percent, led by increased imports of plywood by companies in Washington. GSP eliminated more than $580,000 in import taxes on silver jewelry. More than 40 percent of those imports went to New York.

There were approximately 10,600 country-product combinations imported under GSP in 2012, from Afghani fruits to Zimbabwean wood products and everything in between. As shown by the graph below, for the majority of these country-product combos, the imports come in under GSP or not at all.
For country-product combos worth $2.7 billion in 2012, not a single penny was imported outside of the GSP program!  That accounts for about 43 percent of all country-product combos and is an amazing statistic considering that importers and their customs brokers 1) need to know about the GSP program; 2) specifically claim benefits; 3) meet certain in-country value-added thresholds, and 4) maintain extra  documentation on GSP imports.

Many of these “100 percenters” are raw materials and industrial goods used by American manufacturers, such as ferrosilicon from Russia and Georgia and ceramic laboratory materials from Brazil.

For another $4.4 billion worth of GSP imports in 2012, at least 99 percent of U.S. imports of those products from GSP-eligible countries came in under the program, including tires from Indonesia, aluminum alloy sheets from South Africa, and metal flanges from India.

Even the value of imports on the low end of the spectrum is deceptively high: $628 million of the $852 million worth of imports in the “less than 25 percent” category come from two oil products from Angola – which overwhelmingly receive duty-free access under AGOA.