Trade associations issue ‘Big Bang’ white paper on textile quotas

Trade associations issue ‘Big Bang’ white paper on textile quotas       Five trade associations in the U.S. — the National Retail Federation, the American Import Shippers Association, the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, the American Apparel & Footwear Association, and the International Mass Retail Association — have released a study of the effects on commerce when most apparel quotas end on Dec. 31, 2004.
   The study by Edward Gresser calls the elimination of quotas “the most ‘pro-poor’ and ‘pro-middle class'” tax reform in recent American history.
   “The implications for poor American families can’t be overstated,” said Sandra Kennedy, president of the International Mass Retail Association.
   “Between the charges added on by quotas and the fact that U.S. duties on clothes are among the highest in the world, we’ve been making families pay more – a lot more – for the clothes they need,” Kennedy said. Clothing prices are expected to drop sharply in 2005.
   “This is huge,” said Laura E. Jones, executive director of the U.S. Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel. “We’re going to enter a whole new universe.”
   Hence the title of Gresser’s study: “The Big Bang: Ending Quota and Tariff Policies. For the full text, see www.imra.org/public/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3945.