NACDS joined nearly 150 stakeholders in submitting a letter this week to U. S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer expressing concerns about the administration’s proposed tariffs on $200 billion of imports from China.
The letter, spearheaded by the National Retail Federation-led China 301 Coalition, states: “The negative impact will fall particularly hard on small-and medium-sized businesses and their workers, who lack the scale, resources and options to weather or adapt to these tariffs.” Tariffs are “counterproductive and so far have only produced increased costs” for U.S. businesses and consumers. The groups expressed concern over the administration’s suggestion that the U.S. might impose tariffs on all Chinese imports.
…the trade issue “affects numerous and diverse products on store shelves, the process of getting these products to the shelves, and the very shelves themselves.”–NACDS President & CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE
In the comments, the groups said they “recommend that the U.S. government and Chinese government suspend further tariff actions and begin a comprehensive negotiation to address longstanding trade and investment issues.” They wrote, “We request that every effort be taken now to initiate meaningful negotiations expeditiously. We recommend no further tariff action be taken until those negotiations have a chance to produce significant and verifiable results and the administration can fully assess the impact of tariffs thus far n American businesses, farmers, manufacturers, jobs and consumers.”
In advance of a confluence of suppliers and retailers participating in the NACDS Total Store Expo in Denver, NACDS voiced concerns in an exclusive op-ed published in the Denver Business Journal. NACDS President & CEO Steven C. Anderson, IOM, CAE, noted that the trade issue “affects numerous and diverse products on store shelves, the process of getting these products to the shelves, and the very shelves themselves.”
