The Back-to-School-Supply Tax
Created on August 17, 2010
Headline: The back-to-school- supply tax Intro: Many states offer “tax holidays” for shoppers during the back-to-school season, but families everywhere still pay extra at the checkout counter due to hidden import taxes that increase the price of everything from sneakers to baseball caps. Here are import tax rates for some popular back-to-school items: Source: United States International Trade Commission, USITC Tariff Database, at http://dataweb.usitc.gov/ scripts/tariff_current.asp (August 16, 2010). Other text: Tariff Rate: Cap: 7.5% Glasses: 2.5% Bubble gum: 4.0%Raincoat: 7.1%T-shirt: 16.5%Backpack: 17.6%Ruler: 5.3%Pencil: 4.3%Clarinet: 4.9% Jeans: 16.6% Socks: 13.5%Tennis shoes: 20.0%Lunchbox: 20.0%Tuna: 12.5%Orange juice: 14.1% Potato chips: 6.4% heritage.org • (202) 546-4400 • Washington, DC 20002 • 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE