More uncertainty after months of chaos, AAFA says
The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has said the new tariffs announced by US president, Donald Trump, on April 2 have increased uncertainty.
AAFA chief executive, Steve Lamar, said the organisation welcomed the president’s focus on reducing trade barriers. But he said there were “high trade barriers” on the US side too and these also needed reducing.
He went on to say that reducing these trade barriers ought to take place “in a predictable manner that enables long-term investment and supply chain decisions”.
Mr Lamar said many companies had been in wait-and-see mode since announcements of steep tariffs on imports into the US began in February. He added: “The chaos of the last few months coupled with the confusion from today’s announcement has only created more uncertainty.”
According to AAFA, the situation for imports of clothing and footwear was already difficult. “The average tariff on clothes, shoes, and accessories, necessities every American must buy, was already more than five times higher than on other US imports,” Steve Lamar said.
