ACTION NEEDED - 100% Tariffs

I know there’s already a post about the current round of 25% tariffs (which, as a wine importer, are so much fun to deal with - insert sarcasm), however I feel this needs to be a separate post. Not enough people seem to understand that the next round, likely at the end of January/early February, will be 100%, and this time nothing imported from Europe will be spared (cheese, olive oil, wine, etc…). In any case, I STRONGLY suggest you comment on this impending punitive measure by going to this site, Federal Register :: Review of Action: Enforcement of U.S. WTO Rights in Large Civil Aircraft Dispute, and leaving your thoughts.

This is an existential threat to thousands of small companies that employ hundreds of thousands of people and work hard to bring in products we are passionate about and that many of you enjoy.
Thank you in advance,
Michel

Thanks for posting the link, Michel. Will do

The additional visibility is great.

FWIW, this info, and the required links, is also in the tariff thread.

Done. Thanks for the link and info.

Public comment submitted.

You should also contact your Congressmen and request that they exercise their constitutional duties to “lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” The office of the President does not have the power to impose these tariffs except under certain special circumstances, mostly relating to national security.

Comments submitted, and since I live in a “Boeing” state, comments to Congressional representative also.

FYI - the Trade Act of 1974 gives the President the power to do this.

Section 301 contains the following provision: Actions may be taken that are within the power of the President with respect to trade in any goods or services, or with respect to any other area of pertinent relations with the foreign country.

There are no requirements regarding National Security in Section 301. These tariffs are being imposed based on "an act, policy, or practice of a foreign country— (i) violates, or is inconsistent with, the provisions of, or otherwise denies benefits to the United States under, any trade agreement, or (ii) is unjustifiable and burdens or restricts United States commerce.

Again, I do not agree with the tariffs (I made a public comment opposing them), but the President, through the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, has the power to impose them.

My comment) (1k3-9duj-a0ct).:

The tariffs will only hurt producers, workers, taxpayers, and consumers among BOTH importing and exporting countries, in terms of lost business revenues, personal income, and consumption. That in turn will also depress overall income and sales taxes, on all sides. The tariff receipts will be insufficient to offset those economic losses.

I think that’s right.

And also remember that a lot of this stuff is political posturing. We do it domestically and we do it internationally. Whether it’s a good idea is a completely different issue.

But the auto companies will be crippled and they, as well as the big retailers like WalMart, Target, etc., and the tech companies are going to fight this like they always do. The automakers want tariffs on finished autos, but they don’t mention how much of their own components are imported. In addition, the retaliation will be felt by the importers of food, machinery, optical equipment, even pharmaceuticals, just to name a few.

As a general rule, tariffs are not an effective way to protect a domestic industry. We can look at radios, TVs, motorcycles, steel, autos, and many more to see how well they’ve worked for us.

I agree it’s likely political posturing or at least trying to get leverage in negotiations, but they are playing with the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people (voters) in the US. We don’t have any set date, though when I spoke with the USTR they said that historically tariffs were imposed 2 weeks to 2 months after comments closed. So in theory, we could see 100% tariffs as soon as end of January/early February.

It’s difficult to plan for something like this because wines can take 6-8 weeks to get to the US, depending on many factors. Which means unless you have something leaving a winery next week anything after runs the risk of getting slammed.

Guys, do NOT discuss ANYTHING political in here. If you have comments to make, go to Politics where there is a thread about it. This is far too important for our little ‘hobby’ to have people politicize this thread and get it hidden/moved. Go to Politics if you want to discuss those aspects

Thanks you for the link. Comment added to the website.

My comment (paraphrased):

“I work for a DOMESTIC wine producer and grower and strongly oppose the current and proposed tariffs on wines imported from the EU. These tariffs weaken our wine industry’s position in competing overseas, while weakening the infrastructure of our industry by putting a strain on our retail and distribution partners. Furthermore, they compromise our category in the drinks industry as higher prices to consumers will drive consumers to other products. Thus, they put American jobs in our industry at risk in all tiers. I urge you to strongly reconsider the effect of tariffs to these and other consumer products from the EU on American jobs and our abilities as consumers to enjoy these products.”

Comments added, thank you.

Thank you all who commented, please pass the word along. This is not getting much play despite it impacting anyone who enjoys eating/drinking almost anything from Europe. The louder we get, the better the chances to have this revoked or at least cancelled.

Done.

Thanks for the link; comments submitted

Very well done, Matt

Text of my comment:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed additional tariffs related to the WTO Airbus dispute.

While the WTO decision does allow for tariffs to be imposed, the selection of the HTS codes to which the tariffs apply, as well as the codes for the additional and increased tariffs, place a significant burden on numerous small U.S. businesses. Wine importers, wine retailers, specialty food importers, and similar businesses will see potentially fatal price increases due to these tariffs. There will also be significant impact to U.S. consumers who enjoy these products, many of which have no qualitative U.S. equivalent. While there are many fine U.S. wines and cheeses (I personally purchase many of them), they are not fungible with their European counterparts.

The small U.S. businesses who sell and U.S. consumers who purchase European wine, cheese, olive oil and other foodstuffs are not the parties at the heart of this trade dispute. The decisions reflected in the proposed enforcement place the penalties on the wrong parties. Please evaluate the HTS codes selected for the tariffs, and find products that more specifically relate to the dispute at hand. Please also engage in direct negotiations to resolve the dispute.

Thank you for your consideration.