Tariffs sap businesses of much profit potential

The president and White House officials, when asked in interviews about who pays tariffs, immediately pivot to how much revenue they will or have brought in. Donald Trump regularly takes it a step further, falsely claiming the exporting country pays the tariff. The importer pays; this should not be in dispute.

An illustration: A Canadian company makes widgets, and a company in the United States purchases $1 million worth. Canada exports, the U.S. company imports. With a 30% tariff, the importer has to pay an additional $300,000 to take possession at the port of entry. They pay this tariff to Customs and Border Protection, which then deposits it into the U.S. Treasury. Not a penny comes from the foreign country.

So the reality is that thous

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