Gender & Age
Discrimination Alleged in Tariff Rates
09/08/07 09:15 PM
Posted by
Jennifer KessingerFiled in:
Customs
| International
Trade
If you are an importer of a
product for which you have been paying
different rates of duty on items based on the
gender of the user of the product (such as
apparel, shoes, or gloves), you may be
entitled to a refund of duties for a period of
two years prior to filing of a lawsuit in the
U.S. Court of International Trade ("USCIT").
Several lawsuits have been by importers of
clothing, apparel, and shoes in the USCIT,
such as Totes-Isotoner, Columbia Sportswear,
Steve Madden, and Asics. See
"In
Apparel, All Tariffs Aren't Created
Equal,"
published in the New York Times or the
same
article in the International
Herald. The
importers are essentially claiming that the U.S.
government has no rational basis or legitimate
government interest in assessing different duty
rates on certain apparel and shoes based on gender.
If the importers prevail, they could reclaim close
to $1 billion in tariffs based on gender
differences.
If you are an importer who has paid tariffs based
on gender differences and would like to explore
filing suit in the USCIT to protect your claim to
potential refunds, please contact Global Trade
Expertise via our contact form or by phone at
925.876.1381.
Tags: Duties, Refund, Opportunities, Textiles, Apparel, Shoes
