ATR sent the following letter to Congress; click here for a PDF of the document.

April 17, 2012

To: All Members, U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives

Re: Miscellaneous Tariff Bill

Dear Member of Congress:

Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) have instructed members to introduce legislation for possible inclusion in a miscellaneous tariff bill (MTB) by April 30, 2012. The MTB is essential to providing relief to America’s beleaguered producers and consumers.  On behalf of Americans for Tax Reform, I am writing to express support for the MTB process now underway.

By reducing or eliminating duties on imports, the MTB lowers input costs for domestic manufactures.  This increases the competitiveness of American goods and puts additional savings in the pockets of consumers.  Over the last few years, the American economy has sustained millions of lost jobs, drastically increasing the need for price relief. As American manufacturers continue to face stiff competition from abroad, it is imperative that American goods remain competitive with Asian and European goods.  Without action, Americans would be forced to pay artificially high prices for consumer goods.

As Congress and the Administration look for solutions to the nation’s economic woes, enacting commonsense policies that will boost output and lower the cost of business will do much more in the immediate and long term to grow the economy and augment job creation than government spending.  It is important to remember that legislation that reduces or eliminates tariffs on imports is not an earmark, but market-based consumer tax relief. 

As the sluggish economy continues to frustrate the aspirations of millions of Americans, the nation cannot afford to let this opportunity to enact sound economic policy dissipate.  Once again, I encourage you to support the ongoing MTB process. For more information, please contact Kelsey Zahourek in my office at kzahourek@atr.org.

Onward,

Grover G. Norquist