Silk and woolen-blended fabrics face a 38 percent duty, three times the rate in Western Europe. Importers of soccer uniforms and footwear pay a 35 percent tariff, as do importers of garlic and dried onions. A fifth category of trade barriers is the array of state and local building codes. Government authorities typically enact the standards drawn up by private building associations. This act opens the way for imposing discriminatory rules favorable to the local industry.
Ceramic tile provides a good example.
Ironically, the United States also maintains special regulatory restrictions on our own exports. Under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, exporters of products deemed hazardous in the United States must notify the importing country 30 days in advance of shipment even if the item is not viewed as hazardous under the laws of the importing country. The importing nation must notify the exporter that the notice was received. No other country has such a restriction. We may support free trade in theory, but the United States is hardly free of protectionism.