Students are filing into classrooms across the country bearing backpacks of new supplies that are subject to heavy import taxes. A basket containing one each of common back-to-school goods carries an estimated $147.60 in tariffs, including taxes on gym bags, pencils, sweatshirts, bicycles, and calculators.
National Taxpayers Union on Wednesday released research examining the tariff burden. In addition to the significant dollar cost of tariffs this year, effective tariff rates on many of the products have risen substantially since 2024, with tariff rates on some products increasing by more than 400%.
“This news comes as no surprise to parents and teachers. Back to school shopping is always an expensive task, and tariffs on important supplies like calculators, notebooks, and lunch bags only make prices more expensive as companies pass costs along to consumers,” National Taxpayers Union Executive Vice President Brandon Arnold said. “The Trump Administration should eliminate tariffs completely because they are making everyday living more expensive.”
The estimated 2026 tariff burden per item was calculated by dividing total duties collected by the total number of units imported, using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The $147.60 figure represents the combined estimated tariff burden on one unit of each product for which a per-unit estimate was calculated. Changes in effective tariff rates were calculated separately by comparing May 2024 and May 2026 import data.
National Taxpayers Union is the only free-market organization for taxpayers that unites effective advocacy with useful research about how to limit taxes, spending, and regulation at every level and branch of government—state, federal, administrative, and judicial.