How Trump's New China Tariffs Will Affect U.S. Consumers

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Donald Trump has raised the tariffs on shipments of many goods from China. He wants Americans to believe China is paying the tariffs. That's a lie!

Those tariffs are being paid by businesses that import goods from China -- and to avoid losing profits, they are passing the cost of the tariffs on to the consumers in the United States. In other words, Trump's tariffs are just hidden taxes that are paid by American citizens.

Jim Tankersley, in The New York Times, tells us how these tariffs will affect U.S. consumers. Here is part of what he had to say:

Among the items that might suddenly get more expensive is outdoor gear, like travel bags, backpacks and the knit fabric used in fleece vests.

Dog collars, baseball mitts and ski gloves will also face a 25 percent tariff, along with sledgehammers and saw blades. Almost every kind of lighting fixture that most American stores sell is imported from China, and all are on the list.

Also on the tariff list are toilet paper, art supplies, ceramic tiles, windshield glass and antiques that are more than 100 years old. Plus:

• CD cases, CD players, cassette tapes and cassette players
• Apparel made from reptile leather
• Wooden shingles
• Dyed knitted or crocheted cotton fabrics
• Anvils
• Mattress supports
• Christmas tree lights

More than 1,000 of the 6,000 items on the list are chemicals, many of them industrial, according to an analysis by Panjiva.

Some items are being hit twice by Mr. Trump’s tariffs — those made out of imported steel, which he hit with a 25 percent tariff last year, and aluminum, which he hit with a 10 percent tariff. The auto parts on the list could be subject to double tariffs of their own if Mr. Trump follows through with a longstanding threat to impose new tariffs on imported cars and trucks — and their parts — this year.

Almost 1,000 other products are things you eat or drink. They include vegetables like cabbage, kale, carrots and beets, along with hundreds of types of fish, though industry lobbying removed some Alaskan-caught fish that are exported to China for processing and then reimported to the United States. Other products for your pantry include:

• Mustard seeds
• Stuffed pasta, whether cooked or otherwise prepared or not
• Olives (not green), in a saline solution, in airtight containers of glass or metal but not canned
• Strawberry jam
• Rice wine or sake
• Soy sauce 

The items most likely to sock American consumers’ wallets are computers and couches. Peterson researchers estimated that the tariffs hit more than $23 billion worth of computers and computer parts. A new computer or sofa is a major purchase for most Americans, and a 25 percent tariff could force many to seek out cheaper brands or delay the purchase. . . .

The worst may be yet to come. Mr. Trump said Thursday that he was preparing another round of tariffs, on what could be all remaining imports from China. They would presumably hit clothing, shoes and other goods that the administration has worked to leave off the lists until now. It would be impossible for shoppers to miss it.