爱吱声

标题: 婚纱 [打印本页]

作者: indy 时间: 2020-1-20 08:25
标题: 婚纱
本帖最后由 indy 于 2020-1-19 19:26 编辑

https://www.nj.com/opinion/2020/ ... html?outputType=amp

作者: indy 时间: 2020-1-20 08:26

Opinion

I supported Trump’s trade war. But now it’s driving my industry out of business.Posted Jan 19, 2020

At first, I supported President Trump’s trade war. But not only are the tariffs costing me millions of dollars, they are giving counterfeiters a greater edge, since they don’t pay tariffs, Steve Lang says. Above, Lang is interviewed by Chinese media at his shop in Trenton.[size=1.2]By Star-Ledger Guest Columnist

[size=1.55]By Steve Lang

[size=1.55]In the early 1990’s, I noticed a major problem in the wedding industry: its dresses looked dull and colorless in an era when colors popped. The industry was in a creative rut. It had been recycling the same, monotonous designs for years — but the 1990’s was a time of innovation in the clothing industry. It was due for a change. It was time to breathe life back into an industry that was collecting dust.

[size=1.55]So, in 1991, I took a risk. I started Mon Cheri, a bridal company that introduced new colors, such as rum pink and blush, to traditional wedding dresses. Our designs soon became an industry-wide trend, resulting in the variety of color choices that brides have today for their wedding dresses.

[size=1.55]And since our humble beginnings, our company has grown to be one of the largest, privately held bridal and social occasion companies in the world. Over 100 employees and an additional 150 associates around the globe in 70 countries work with Mon Cheri to bring smiles to new brides. Now, however, the trade war with China is about to drive our industry away from American companies and into the hands of counterfeiters and off-shore entities.

[size=1.55]Companies like mine have been paying billions in tariffs since the start of the trade war last year. There’s been some confusion about this, so I want to be clear: tariffs are taxes that I pay to the United States government to import products I need to run my business and employ the 100 Americans who work for me. They are not paid by China.

[size=1.55]Tariffs have slashed my margins and have forced me to raise my prices, making it harder to sell my products. This year alone, I have already paid so many millions in duties and tariffs. That money could have been spent on expanding my business and hiring more Americans. Instead, it lies in the government’s coffers. At this point, the government has become my biggest competitor, taking more money out of my business than I ever have.

[size=1.55]At a moment’s notice, the government expects me to change my decades-long operation. I manufacture my dresses in China because I can’t find 5,000 trained seamstresses in America. I would love to hire more Americans, but we don’t have that type of labor pool here anymore. And the intricate hand beading and specialized materials cannot be sourced in America. I also can’t move my production to Vietnam, Myanmar, or India overnight, because, unlike China, it doesn’t have the needed labor force nor the materials to make our dresses. A supply shift will eventually happen — but it can’t happen overnight.

[size=1.55]However, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative does give select companies a pass from having to pay tariffs — if they have money and status. For example, Apple was exempt from some tariffs after its CEO, Tim Cook, lobbied the president, and recently, President Trump said he will “look into” more exemptions for Apple when he toured its new Texas plant. But, I can’t schedule meetings with the president, so I had to go through the bureaucratic exemption process for ordinary people. It was as laborious and unnerving as going to the DMV. I filled out the lengthy, confusing exemption forms — but I never got an answer to my request.

[size=1.55]At first, I supported the president’s trade war. I thought the U.S. would finally go after the Chinese counterfeiters that were ripping off my — and others’ — products. But that didn’t happen. Instead, my company was punished for both importing and exporting. Not only are the tariffs costing me millions of dollars, they are giving counterfeiters a greater edge, since they don’t pay tariffs and have been able to further undercut the wedding gown market. Counterfeiting costs America over $500 billion annually and I wish that was the administration’s prime target. The trade war has inadvertently incentivized counterfeiting, as prices on legitimate products have risen.

[size=1.55]By ending tariffs, the president can help my company stay around. His recent Phase One deal with China is a step in the right direction, but it only suspends some tariffs while keeping most of the others. Until all tariffs are gone, companies like mine will be stuck paying millions in tariffs to the government, counting down the days until they no longer can afford them. Why would our government want to ruin the most important life events in Americans’ lives — from weddings to proms to communions. These happy events are right in the sights of these tariffs.

[size=1.55]Steve Lang is the CEO of Mon Cheri Bridals in Trenton and president of The American Bridal and Prom Industry Association.

[size=1.55]The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion. Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion. Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion. Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.

Comments

[size=1.4]Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

[size=1.3]

[size=1.2]Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/20).

[size=1.2]© 2020 Advance Local Media LLC. All rights reserved (About Us).
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local.

[size=1.2]Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site.

[size=1.2]Ad Choices

欢迎光临爱吱声 (http://129.226.69.186/bbs/)