A number of legislative issues will impact Tire Industry Association (TIA) members well beyond the Nov. 3 presidential election.
TIA CEO Dr. Roy Littlefield and Roy Littlefield IV, the association's director of government affairs, discussed several - including tire registration and infrastructure funding - during today's Tire Industry Honors event, which was held via Zoom.
TIA is working to develop an industry consensus regulation that would spare tire dealers from onerous fines in the event that consumer tires are registered improperly. The association also opposes the reinstatement of federal excise taxes (FET) on tread rubber or passenger tires - as well as an FET increase on commercial truck tires - both of which have been proposed as infrastructure funding methods. (New TIA President Dan Nothdurft covered both topics in a recent interview with MTD.)
Littlefield IV also addressed COVID-19 relief. "We've been very active" in fighting for relief package deals that would benefit TIA members, he said. "We've also walked dealers through loan application and reopening procedures. Tire dealers are certainly essential and will remain essential, no matter what is going on in the world."
When discussing the possible imposition of punitive tariffs on consumer tires that are imported from South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, he mentioned that TIA will continue to take a neutral position, but also will help members on both sides of the issue.
If President Donald Trump is reelected, "I don't see any tariffs going away," he added. "If Biden is elected, we could see some reengagement" with various countries.
