It’s critical that trade in North America be tariff free. We build products like cars together to compete against China and the rest of the world. Disrupting supply chains takes us back to the days of Covid disruptions. Those were not fun days.
US manufacturers and consumers are hurt by tariffs on Mexico and Canada. The US auto industry gets nailed as does any American who owns a car or relies on one for transportation. It’s a lose, lose, lose.
Not only will new and used car prices go up by thousands, auto insurance rates will increase as the price of parts increase. And it will take longer to repair cars, which makes it harder on Americans — particularly those in rural areas — to get to work.
Yes, tariffs in North America will stoke inflation. Tariffs are taxes.
Let’s build on the best trade deal ever, USMCA, and make North America a 100 percent free trade zone and remove non-tariff barriers to trade.
Let’s harmonize tariffs all three countries impose on China for starters. Win-win-win.
More trade would benefit Texas as the nation’s top export state and the state with the country’s busiest port of entry in Laredo.
Editor's Note: The above commentary was provided by Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Texas Association of Business. The commentary first appeared on Hamer's LinkedIn page and came as a response to a story in TopSpeed titled "How Tariffs Will Impact Every Car Owner". The commentary concluded with a plug for TAB's Texas Leads Trade campaign.
