#LetterToTheEditor #YourVoice #SpotlightNews
There is a lot of discussion about the state’s help given to Amazon, and even though the location will be in New York City, large costs will greatly be borne by taxation upstate, without benefit to upstate.
Tough Traveler does sell on Amazon, in addition to our own website and our own local store, but we cannot condone New York state’s give-away to Amazon. We already rightfully pay commissions to Amazon as well as state sales taxes, local property taxes, and local sales taxes, and there is no reason for further taxation in order to support Amazon in New York.
Tough Traveler is a local, New York state, designer-manufacturer in an industry that we were important in developing; we are one of the very few remaining companies manufacturing in this industry in the U.S.
The industry is luggage, carry-ons, garment bags, shoulder bags, backpacks, computer bags, duffel bags, etc. There is massive use in the U.S. of these products, but most of the employment has gone to people off-shore where the labor, materials, environmental regulations, etc. are a much, much lower cost than in New York state and the U.S., and without almost any or no customs tariffs paid into the U.S. when these imports come into the U.S.
Upstate, we have growing subsidized housing, subsidized medical programs, subsidized employment programs, food programs, etc., and we now will be paying taxes to support the state give-away to Amazon.
New York state is damaging our effort to continue to manufacture in this state instead of going to China and the other cheap labor/benefits/environmental countries as our competitors did years ago, which certainly did not improve employment in New York state.
Nancy Gold, Pres.
Tough Traveler Ltd.