Tariffs And You: How Trade Barriers Affect Wisconsin

Tariffs and trade disputes have been a subject of many debates over the past few months. What is often overlooked is just how these barriers affect the everyday citizen in Wisconsin. Here are just a few examples of how increased trade costs could affect Wisconsin.

•Several times a year, steel shipments (mostly from Belgium) arrive at the Port of Milwaukee destined for Wisconsin businesses. The new steel tariff will increase costs to these businesses by 25%.

•Wisconsin has become a significant exporter of soybeans. The new DeLong Company terminal at the Port of Milwaukee was constructed to take advantage of this and make exporting easier. Retaliatory tariffs on United States exports could negatively affect Wisconsin’s soybean farmers.

•Despite the downturn of manufacturing in Wisconsin, the state still exports over $10 billion in manufactured goods. These producers are doubly hit as they will face the steel tariffs as well as retaliatory export tariffs.

The Libertarian Party of Wisconsin (LPWI) believes that free trade is fair trade. Trade wars only hurt consumers. Costs of production, including tariffs, are passed down until there is nobody else to pass it down to, and the consumer bears that burden. Inflation will never get under control if we continue to artificially inflate goods.

For more on the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin, please visit www.lpwi.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.