CTA Calls for ‘Immediate End’ to China Tariffs

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) is calling for an “immediate end” to the 25% tariff the White House imposed last Thursday on $16 billion worth of goods imported from China.

"The Trump administration's strategy of using tariffs to punish China for intellectual property theft and forced technology transfer is not working,” said CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro. “Instead, it is damaging to American businesses and consumers.

“Not only is the White House failing to change China's behavior on IP,” he added, “but it is also putting extreme pressure on American innovation and businesses that invent, design, and engineer their IP in the United States.”

Shapiro went on to characterize the tariffs as a “tax on Americans” and pointed to a study done earlier this year showing that tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese imports, including TVs — coupled with retaliation by China — would reduce U.S. GDP by nearly $3 billion annually.

A recent study CTA commissioned with the National Retail Federation (NRF) examined the estimated impact of 25 percent tariffs on Chinese imports, and concluded that the price of TVs from China could increase by 23%.

Other China-built tech products affected by the tariffs include gateways, modems, routers, set-top boxes, e-readers, smartwatches, fitness trackers, streaming devices, Bluetooth speakers, and smart speakers.

The tariffs will put “hundreds of thousands of American jobs at risk,” Shapiro said, adding: “No wonder 90 percent of economists say tariffs will hurt us.

“The Trump administration has prioritized economic policies — such as tax reform — to help American workers and businesses,” he concluded. “But if the administration continues to implement tariffs, our country will face a weaker economy, job losses, and American families stuck with a higher cost of living."

Related:

Survey: Tariffs on TVs From China Would Cost U.S. Consumers Millions

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