NEW USTR TARIFFS ON 60 NATIONS WILL HIT AMERICAN CONSUMERS HARDEST — TARGETED REMEDIES NEEDED, NOT A BLANKET TAX
USTR’s blanket 10% on trading allies will only serve to drive up prices for consumers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative today proposed sweeping additional tariffs of 10–12.5% on imports from 60 economies, including major allies such as the European Union, Canada, Japan, and Mexico, citing their failure to prohibit the importation of goods made with forced labor, under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
The Consumer Choice Center recognizes the moral urgency of combating forced labor in global supply chains. But these broad, indiscriminate tariffs function first and foremost as a tax on American consumers, driving up prices on everyday goods from groceries and electronics to clothing and household appliances.
President Trump’s desire to legally justify new rounds of tariffs after the Supreme Court swatted his last attempt will only punish American consumers.
“Forced labor is a genuine moral crisis that demands a serious response at the right time and place. But taxing American consumers on goods from 60 countries, including our closest democratic allies, is not serious trade policy. Blanket tariffs raise prices at the register while doing almost nothing to change conditions in foreign factories. USTR should target the abusers, not the shoppers,” said Yaël Ossowski, deputy director at the Consumer Choice Center.
The proposed tariffs compound an already historically heavy tariff burden on American households. Current tariff levels represent the largest US tax increase as a share of GDP since 1993, costing the average household an estimated $1,500 per year in 2026.
“Slapping on another 10% on every vital trading partner, especially those in liberal democracies, risks further eroding consumer purchasing power, deepening inflationary pressures, and damaging relationships with the partners the US needs most to achieve durable supply chain reform,” concluded Ossowski.
For more analysis on the benefits of free trade to consumers, visit Consumer Choice Center’s available at consumerchoicecenter.org.
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About the Consumer Choice Center
The Consumer Choice Center is an independent, nonpartisan consumer advocacy group championing the benefits of freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in everyday life for consumers in over 100 countries. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Brussels, Washington, Ottawa, Brasilia, London, Geneva, and more.
Find out more at consumerchoicecenter.org
