Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is assembling a list of outdoor products to include in the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB) legislation Congress resumed work on last week. The legislation suspends or reduces tariffs on products with no viable domestic production.
OIA used the MTB in 2006 and 2010 to save outdoor industry manufacturers and retailers more than $30 million. OIA will again submit legislation to House and Senate sponsors for inclusion in this year’s MTB.
According to the guidance documents provided by both committees, an MTB “must be non-controversial (i.e., have no competition from a U.S. manufacturer, and cost under $500,000 per year in lost revenue to the U.S. Treasury), and be administrable. In determining whether an MTB meets these criteria, each bill undergoes a thorough vetting process by the committee; the independent U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and the administration, including the Department of Commerce (DOC) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and is scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).”
OIA can provide your company with guidance on whether your imported outdoor products are eligible for duty suspension or reduction under the MTB. If you are interested, contact OIA’s Director of Trade Policy, Alex Boian at aboian@outdoorindustry.org, as soon as possible. The deadline for introduction of legislation is April 30, 2012.
To learn more about the MTB, you can view the Outdoor University webinar, “Understanding and Maximizing the MTB Process: Bottom Line Opportunities for Your Company,” that OIA and the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America jointly presented in March.
