In the first five months of expiration, American companies paid at least $397 million in extra taxes as a result of GSP expiration. Companies in 32 states paid at least $1 million in tariffs from January-May 2021 due to GSP expiration. The map below shows estimated tariffs for products claiming GSP paid by state in that period.

May was the most expensive month of GSP expiration yet both nationally and for 19 states: Alabama, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Virginia. In three states – Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico – tariffs paid in May were at least double any of the previous four months.

While many believe the United States has low tariffs, Colorado companies have paid extra tariffs averaging 11.7% due to GSP expiration. Companies in Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah, and Wisconsin have all paid extra tariffs average 7-10%.

The data on tariffs paid is a conservative estimate, and the real figure likely is higher. Why? Estimates only capture products that continued to claim GSP despite expiration. Yet imports of many products that traditionally get GSP have not claimed it in 2021. Tariffs paid on those imports still would be eligible for refunds in the event of a retroactive renewal, but importers would need to file manual requests.

It is critical that Congress renew GSP – with refunds for tariffs paid – as soon as possible. Companies that want to help the Coalition for GSP educate policymakers on who is hurt by expiration (and how) should:

• join the Coalition for GSP
• add their name to the free GSP supporter list
• answer our very short survey on GSP expiration impacts to date

California accounts for more than a quarter of GSP savings, more than the next 3 states – New York, Florida, Texas – combined. Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Washington, and Pennsylvania round out the top 10 states for GSP savings in 2020.

Estimated GSP savings for Colorado grew from $4 million in 2019 to $14 million in 2020, by far the largest increase. Estimated GSP savings also grew in Wisconsin (+$869,000), Arkansas (+$478,000), Washington (+$300,000), Delaware (+$73,000), and Wyoming (+$34,000). Estimated savings fell in all other states.

While Covid-19 had big impacts on GSP imports in the spring, declines were largely due to country suspensions. Excluding products impacted by country suspensions (e.g., India, Turkey, Thailand), most states’ GSP savings grew. For example, New York’s GSP savings grew by $15 million on non-impacted products but fell by $2.5 million overall due to country suspensions. Similarly, Texas’ savings GSP by $9 million on non-impacted products but fell by over $7 million overall.

Since GSP expired on December 31, American likely have paid about $110 million in tariffs that previously would’ve been “GSP savings.” It is critical that Congress renew GSP – with refunds for tariffs paid – as soon as possible. To help the Coalition for GSP educate policymakers on who is hurt by expiration (and how), companies are strongly encouraged to:

• join the Coalition for GSP
• add their name to the free GSP supporter list
• answer our very short survey on GSP expiration impacts to date

In a major shift from 2018, consumer goods were the largest category of GSP imports by both value ($6.6 billion) and savings ($512 million). Consumers goods accounted for 32% of total GSP imports, up from 24% the prior year. Because average tariffs (without GSP) are much higher (7.7%), consumer goods accounted for about half of all GSP savings. Expanding GSP to cover travel goods in 2016/2017 has led to steadily increasing consumer goods imports over the last several year.

Industrial materials ranked second among GSP products both by import value ($6.0 billion) and estimated tariff savings ($256 million). Industrial materials were the largest GSP imports, usually by a wide margin, in each of the last 10 years. The reason industrial materials slipped to #2 is clear from the “top countries”: 5 months of GSP for India eliminated more tariffs on materials used by American manufacturers than full-year GSP for any other country.

Agricultural and food products ranked third among GSP products by import value ($2.9 billion) and estimated tariff savings ($116 million). Among the more surprising data points: Ecuador was the second-largest source of food and agricultural products in 2019 by the value of GSP savings, primarily on tropical plants such as taro, mangoes, and guavas.

Capital goods ranked fourth among GSP imports by value ($2.8 billion) and savings ($83 million) in 2019. Despite similar import values, GSP savings on capital goods were much lower than GSP savings on agricultural and food products due to lower average tariff rates (3.0% versus 4.0%, respectively). India was the second-biggest source country in terms of tariff saving on capital goods, again demonstrating how American manufacturers are bearing the brunt of the decision to end GSP for India.

Autos and parts ranked fifth among GSP imports by value ($2.3 billion) and savings ($66 million) in 2019. Passenger vehicles are not eligible for GSP, so imports tend to be concentrated among parts such as engines, tires, and wire harnesses. Not surprisingly, states with a heavy automotive presence such as Michigan and Tennessee are among the top importers by GSP savings on these components and parts.

GSP imports were up by 15 percent – and tariffs savings were up by 17 percent – compared to a year earlier. Some states such as Nebraska and Maryland saw much larger increases in GSP imports and savings compared to the previous year, as shown in the graphic below.

GSP saved Nebraska companies $105,000 thousand in June, up $42,000 (68 percent) compared to one year earlier. Activated carbon from the Philippines, copper alloys and rubber stoppers from India, and aluminum frames from Thailand contributed most to Nebraska’s GSP increases.

GSP saved Maryland companies $2.1 million in June, up over $450,000 (28 percent) compared to one year earlier. Silicon from Kazakhstan, carbides from South Africa, and zinc from India contributed most to Maryland’s GSP increases.

In addition to Nebraska and Maryland, companies in 17 other states saw GSP savings increase by at least 20 percent, including: Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Savings on GSP imports from Lebanon increased by 58 percent compared to June of last year. Illinois companies’ purchases of nuts accounted for nearly $250,000 of the GSP imports from Lebanon. GSP eliminated about $471,000 in import taxes on steering wheels in June, with more than a fifth of those savings on imports into Michigan.

• Kona Bicycle in Ferndale, Washington: GSP expiration cost Kona $580,000 and delayed new product developments. GSP renewal allowed Kona to invest in new R&D equipment and hire 5 workers in products development and sales.
• Golden Country in Chicago, Illinois: After paying over $1 million in extra import taxes during GSP expiration, renewal allowed Golden Country to give employees raises and purchase new warehouse equipment and trucks.
• Fab-Line Machinery in Nashville, Tennessee: GSP expiration cost Fab-Line $350,000 in extra taxes and forced the small business to lay off a worker. GSP renewal allowed Fab-Line to hire 2 new workers and lower costs for its customers: American manufacturers.

• WorldFinds in Westmont, Illinois: After paying $55,000 in extra taxes during expiration, GSP renewal allowed WorldFinds to hire one full-time employee and another part-time worker – a big increase for a small business with a staff of (now) nine.
• Burris Company in Greeley, Colorado: After paying $3.2 million in extra taxes during expiration, GSP renewal allowed Burris to invest in its domestic manufacturing, leading to new, good paying jobs in Colorado.
• PolySource in Independence, Missouri: After paying $640,000 in extra taxes during expiration, GSP renewal allowed PolySource to hire five new workers, increasing overall employment from 11 workers to 16 workers.

The responses to date clearly illustrate why Congress must act sooner rather than later to renew GSP and provide businesses the certainty required to plan for 2018 and beyond. For example:

• 15 percent of respondents report that any new orders placed now will be delivered in 2018 and could face tariffs if Congress does not renew GSP;
• 56 percent of respondents will be “past the point of no return” for 2017 deliveries by the time Congress returns from the August recess, and
• 100 percent of respondents must place orders for 2017 before November 15, meaning that cannot know whether orders will face new taxes if Congress waits until December to act.

The charts at the bottom show the breakdown of responses to date. Like Oxan Inc and Kervan USA, the potential expiration at the end of the year if forcing companies to make tough decisions now.

Bill Dull from Triad Magnetics in Perris, California reported that GSP provides a competitive edge against ‘made in China’ products, since most of its competitors manufacture finished goods there. However, the company is bidding on business for 2018 under the assumption that GSP will not be renewed. In several cases, it has received feedback that it will not be awarded the business due to the higher prices.

Kelly Weinberger from WorldFinds in Westmont, Illinois reported plans to bring in its Spring 2018 product early because of the possibility of GSP expiration. However, this will have a major effect on cash flow since it will not ship – and therefore get paid for – the product until much later.

One company that requested anonymity reported that it will place an order in September for delivery in 2018 that will face over $1 million in extra taxes if Congress fails to renew GSP. Whether Congress renews GSP between order placement and delivery will have a huge impact on the companies 2018 plans. If Congress renews GSP, it will open a new location in Los Angeles that will employ 10 workers. If Congress does not renew GSP, it will not open the Los Angeles location and may need to shut down a New Jersey location that employs 8 workers.

With each passing day, more GSP users are put into a position of having to guess about important pricing issues. Congress can eliminate that uncertainly by passing immediate legislation extending the GSP program beyond December 31.

We plan to update the chart below as more companies respond, so please take a moment to answer the VERY BRIEF survey here. (Please note: company-specific information will not be used without explicit permission, as was provided by each of the companies mentioned above.)

When GSP expired in 2013, Golden Country raised prices to reflect the new tariffs and saw sales drop as a result. It froze hiring – and couldn’t replace employees that left – and help off on updates to its Chicago facilities. Ultimately, the small business paid over $1 million in unnecessary tariffs while waiting for Congress to renew GSP.

GSP renewal allowed Golden Country to invest in both its people and facilities: Golden Country was able to give its employees raises and purchase new warehouse equipment and trucks. GSP eliminated about $400,000 in tariffs on Golden Country’s imports in the first year after renewal – savings that could be passed along to consumers.

When GSP expired in 2013, Fab-Line was forced to raise prices to compensate for those new import taxes. Ultimately the company paid about $350,000 in new tariffs. This hurt the company, which had to lay off one employee, and the American manufacturers that now had to pay more for Fab-Line’s equipment.

The retroactive renewal allowed Fab-Line to hire 2 new workers – a service manager and a service engineer. Yet Fab-Line President Patrick Canning says another potential expiration threatens the company again:

“If the GSP does not get signed I will raise my pricing to pay for the duties and of course that will have a negative impact on my business.”

GSP may not expire until December 31, but the decision date is much sooner for Fab-Line. According to our newest survey, Fab-Line will start placing orders for 2018 delivery in mid-August. If Congress has not renewed GSP before the August recess, Fab-Line will be forced to guess whether orders will be subject to extra taxes.

*** Tariffs on GSP imports are scheduled to go up on January 1. By the time that feels “close,” it may be too late to make a difference in Congress. So if you import under GSP and don’t see your organization here, please add it here today. ***

The companies are based in 11 different states and most are small businesses (Panasonic North America certainly is not). Their imports are as varied as their locations: Engineered Components Company imports cap screws from Thailand; Galaxy Sports imports gloves from Indonesia; Global Chemcorp imports pigments and dyes from India, and Sugarpod Naturals imports dietary supplements from the Philippines.

Two companies – B&C Technologies and Fab-Line Machinery – are among those featured on our Company Profiles page.

The next potential GSP expiration is less than 9 months away. If you import under GSP, be sure to join our free GSP Supporter List so we can continue making the case for GSP renewal well in advance of the pending expiration date.

GSP Supporter List companies added the week of April 10, 2017:

• Andre Prost, Inc. in Old Saybrook, Connecticut
• B&C Technologies LLC in Panama City Beach, Florida
• Bolcof Port Polyers / Calsak Plastics in Azusa, California
• Engineered Components Company in Elgin, Illinois
• Fab-Line Machinery, LLC in Nashville, Tennessee
• Galaxy SPorts, Inc. in South Bend, Indiana
• Global Chemcorp, LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina
• Karran in Vincennes, Indiana
• Organik Kimya US, Inc. in Burlington, Massachusetts
• Panasonic Corporation of North American in Newark, New Jersey
• Sugarpod Naturals in Hillsboro, Oregon
• TRI-K Industries Inc. in Denville, New Jersey
• YGI Group in New York, New York
• Zhong Ya Chemical (USA) Ltd. in Edison, New Jersey