Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

For those unfamiliar with exactly what a tariff is ... It is basically a tax imposed by the government on imported goods and therefore serves as a source of income to the government. If a government wants to protect its own steel industry, it may add a tariff to imported steel, to make sure that the imported steel isn't cheaper than the locally manufactured steel. So now the question is "Who pays the tariff"? President Trump has been telling everyone that China has paid millions into our treasury because of the tariffs on steel coming in from that country. THAT IS A LIE!
The tariff is paid by the importer (buyer) not the exporter (seller). In other words anyone buying steel from China pays the cost of that steel, which includes the tariff. The BUYER pays the tariff (which goes into the US treasury). Anyone buying steel from China will pay the tariff - NOT CHINA! The buyer may absorb the extra cost but more likely will pass the extra cost along to the final buyer - the consumer (you).
Before you write a response that says the president is not lying, do a bit of research about tariffs; you will find out that the buyer pays - NOT the seller. China has not paid a nickel into our treasury.

Ollieboy

I believe the idea is to make it cost prohibitive to buy the Chinese steel. It's not about the income generated by the tariff.

foathog Loc: Greensboro, NC

I believe what he's getting at is that Trump is claiming that China is doing the paying.

Notorious T.O.D. Loc: Harrisburg, North Carolina

My view is that the customer pays for everything that a successful company does...including corporate taxes. Now lower taxes would allow a company to charge less for their product perhaps. I will agree that the buyer pays the tariff but I believe the idea is to reduce the sales of the sellers product and increase the sales of the product from other sources, preferribly domestic. The tariff therefore attempts to punish or restrict one producer and encourage or help others.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

Yep, we do. Yep, he do. Watch out for the trolls...…………………..

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

But, doesn't it look so much better for the Anti-Trump folks if they can get their sheep to look at Tariffs this way and not the way they are intended?

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

Some of us understand or know what tariffs are and do. Others, seem to want to live in a fantasy world and want simple solutions to their perceived problems while creating new or returning to old ones. Example:

Note timing of steel tariffs and G.M. and Ford's announcements of cutting back on production of conventional automobiles and increasing the production of the more profitable less taxed in themselves Pickup Trucks, Vans, SUV, etc. Yet, said increase will pollute more because they are also less regulated by same U.S. Government.

ggab Loc: ?

It prevents the Chinese from flooding our market with cheap steel putting US workers out of work.

wireloose

You can judge on results or intentions. Look at Brazil if you want to see the benefits of high tariff barriers. I see customers moving production out of the US to stay competitive, as our costs go up. Routing product that used to go through a US warehouse and on to Brazil to a foreign one. Stopping production entirely as costs are now uncompetitive. Chinese electronics suppliers who are busier than ever as we lose our component business to them..which is what their gvernment wanted. Its not hard to make a case for punishing China but tariff wars have a lot of negative consequences, and hurt us globally. There was a reason the US aluminum industry argued against the tariffs that were supposed to help them. Look at the analysts calculations of jobs lost vs jobs gained. And thats before the retaliatory tariffs from our trade partners- our enemies in Canada and Europe.
Its ugly and the consequences will be long lasting and go well beyond US consumers paying higher prices for many products.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

The customer always pays for everything in one way or another. Tariffs aren't intended for the benefit of the government, but instead to create a level playing field for the manufacturers in a country. However, many countries such as China use them to make the purchase of foreign products prohibitive if they have a local industry that produces the same. Tariffs aren't just an American thing. Pretty much every major country uses them. So, don't try to paint them as being just a Trump thing.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

I agree the consumer pays all. But is it not a smoke & mirrors way of hoodwinking the sheep into thinking he's doing the consumer a good turn?
Even if he cuts company tax but puts Tarif on the imports, the consumer is no better off, & neither is the nation. The local product is no cheaper, they pay tax, with discount, a little less, but more than covered by Tarif, giving govt a bonanza.
If the Tarif was removed & tax break made it price competitive, making it more buyer friendly, the govt gets less. So who is he fooling?? The consumer to pay more tax.
Just a Pea & Thimble way to achieve what? The consumer gets it in the neck always.
Like the Mexicans paying for the wall. Yeah?? You the tax payers pay for it???

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

You forget, Trump IS telling his cult followers that China IS filling our Treasury with tariff proceeds (its in the news, look it up).

He apparently believes what he says is true (he may be that dumb) or he is knowingly lying to his cult followers (which is highly likely since t***h coming out his mouth would scortch his lips) so they won’t understand that what Howard states is true and that his cult followers are the ones paying his tariffs on those items of Chinese origin that they buy.

Stan

chfrus

Interesting but what has got to do with photography?

piloto caliente

Tariffs are great if you like Great Depressions (Smoot-Hawley) and Civil Wars (Morrill).

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

Understand. But, how do you suggest that we combat a country like China that is trying to destroy our economy by flooding the market with government subsidized products that are often the result of them stealing our companies intellectual knowledge and patents? These are not capitalistic countries. They are c*******t countries using the marketplace as a weapon.