Chinese tariffs impacting local small business
(ABC 6 News) — President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause for certain tariffs on Wednesday, but one country exempt from that pause is China.
The tariffs on Chinese imports went into effect on Wednesday, and China retaliated with a 84% tariff in response to Trump’s 104% levy. Since then, Trump has raised those tariffs to 125%.
Those increased tariffs against China are worrying for business owners like Beth Benike, who owns Busy Baby in Zumbrota.
Nearly all of the store’s supplies are made from food grade silicone, which is imported from China because the U.S. does not produce much of the material.
Benike says the increased tariffs on Chinese imports will seriously hurt her business, but she is going to trust the government’s plan.
“It doesn’t feel like they’re taking small business into consideration, but I’m going to trust there’s a strategy. There’s gotta be a strategy. I can’t imagine there’s not,” Benike said. “But in the meantime, it feels like we don’t matter. We don’t count.”
While Benike expressed some trust in the Trump administration, she tells ABC 6 News that right now, her business, and other businesses like hers, are essentially in limbo until they can find a way to work around the tariffs.