BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Has your company been negatively affected by the 25 percent tariff increase on e-bikes and e-bike motors imported from China? If so, PeopleForBikes and the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association invite you to submit comments to the U.S. Trade Representative in support of their request to exclude e-bikes from the tariffs.
The deadline to submit comments is Friday, Jan. 11, before midnight EST. Submissions can be filed online at regulations.gov/document?D=USTR-2018-0032-1548. Click on the "Comment Now" box in the upper right corner and fill out the form.
"Our ask, for anyone who manufactures and imports e-bikes from China, is to provide a letter of comment to the USTR supporting our letter and asking that e-bikes and e-bike motors be excluded from the scope of that 25 percent tariff increase," said Morgan Lommele, director of state and local policy for the organizations.
BPSA and PeopleForBikes filed their exclusion request with the USTR last month. The Trump administration announced the tariff increase in August as part of its trade dispute with China. The administration also increased tariffs on most conventional bicycles and components by 10 percent in September. The BPSA/PFB exclusion request addresses only the tariffs on e-bikes and e-bike motors.
The 10 percent tariff on conventional bicycles and components was scheduled to increase to 25 percent on Jan. 1, but the second increase has been postponed to March 1 pending negotiations between China and the United States.
Lommele said it's important for companies to weigh in individually with the USTR and discuss how the increased tariffs have specifically affected their businesses. The BPSA and PFB suggest that comments address such points as the fact that e-bikes are an increasingly critical part of the U.S. bicycle industry and represent the fastest growing sales segment.
They also recommend emphasizing that the global supply chain for bike and e-bike manufacturing is centered in China and is difficult to relocate to other countries; that e-bike sales are critical for strengthening IBDs, most of which are small businesses; and that brands haven't experienced the theft of intellectual property or technology by manufacturing in China.
Several companies and organizations have already submitted comments to the USTR, including Bosch, Brose, Genze, the National Bicycle Dealers Association, Pedego, Pure Cycles, and Uber. Their comments are also available through the link.
