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Time of India
11 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Trump tariffs: Small businesses in America need to pay an extra $202 billion a year
Bloomberg Live Events Bloomberg The economic policies passed in the first six months of President Donald Trump 's term may yet bring a Golden Age, but so far they haven't for small farms and businesses. According to an estimate by the right-leaning US Chamber of Commerce, Trump's levies mean that small businesses will have to pay an extra $202 billion a year on tariffs, which works out to about $856,000 per company on optimism soared on Trump's victory and plunged when he announced tariffs; the right-leaning NFIB Small Business Optimism Index has recovered somewhat since 'Liberation Day' but has yet to reach the heights of Trump's first term in office, and response rates to the survey have fallen, suggesting some business owners may be too busy struggling to remain solvent to complete surveys. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index has declined for two months in a with large companies, smaller enterprises are struggling to wait out the vicissitudes of Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs. Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told me recently that he is already seeing the impact across his state on small businesses, small farms and consumers alike. 'We're all paying a hidden tax in the form of widespread tariffs,' he said. 'Look, it's not just me saying this. If Andy Beshear, [former GOP Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell and [GOP Senator] Rand Paul are all saying this is a bad idea, it's because it's a really bad idea.'Companies with fewer than 500 employees contribute 43.5% of the nation's gross domestic product. Small family farms still constitute 86% of all farms, according to federal data. But they lack the leverage and resources of larger enterprises and can find themselves at the mercy of forces over which they have little influence.'They're what economists call 'price-takers,'' Louis Johnston, an economist and professor at St. John's University in Minnesota told me. 'It means you accept the world as it is. You don't have enough power to affect prices and you don't have much wiggle room on wages. You're stuck.' Big businesses, he said, are price-makers. 'They can eat some costs , pass some to consumers, reduce stockholder dividends or shave a bit off wages,' he said. 'If you're small, all you can do is take the hit.'Investors agree, and publicly traded small companies have seen their stocks become less attractive since Trump unveiled his tariff agenda on 'Liberation Day' in in Congress seem unwilling to place the slightest restraint on a president convinced of his infallibility on companies are finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of absorbing the increased costs of tariffs, according to Scott Lincicome, director of general economics and trade studies at the Cato Institute. That's not sustainable, especially for smaller businesses, and Lincicome is projecting higher consumer prices this fall. Even before its most recent estimate of tariff costs, the Chamber of Commerce had rung the alarm in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that warned 'small businesses could suffer irreparable harm' from tariffs. 'The Chamber is hearing from small-business owners every day who are seeing their ability to survive endangered by the recent increase in tariff rates.'The GOP tax bill does grant some benefits to small businesses, such as a permanent extension on deductions. Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, told me that those benefits may become a lifeline. 'It would have put a lot of small businesses out of business if those provisions had not happened,' he a longtime Republican, remembers when his party saw free enterprise as an article of faith. He also recalls that the free-trade era carried its own challenges, particularly for smaller businesses that 'didn't always get a fair shake.' Loon believes that targeted tariffs, skillfully applied, 'can be incredibly beneficial.' Trump's broad-based approach 'has created great uncertainty among our businesses. And that is where disparities can occur.'Trump portrays tariffs as free money paid by countries that have 'ripped off' America . His new levies have already begun sending billions to the US Treasury. But the reality is that tariffs are a hidden tax mostly borne by US companies and consumers. According to Goldman Sachs data, US consumers have paid 22% of the cost of Trump's tariffs. Only 14% of the cost has been borne by foreign other 64%? Eaten by American businesses Trump has reset the table on trade. Unfortunately, in his hands, tariffs are a blunt instrument used to punish enemies, reward friends and bully other nations. He substitutes threats and intimidation for negotiations and diplomacy. The deals, such as they are, remain vague, with details often disputed by trading was just seven months ago that the International Monetary Fund declared the US economy would continue to lead the world in 2025. IMF officials said the US was growing at a faster clip than its economic competitors, with more productive workers and a more welcoming business environment, leaving Trump and the GOP well positioned to capitalize politically on those economic several key economic indicators are pointing in the wrong direction — a scenario largely of Trump's own making. Businesses are struggling to adapt to his ever-shifting landscape of tariffs. Farmers are getting clobbered by higher inputs and they've lost markets thanks to an administration that ended foreign food aid and cut nutrition the president brags about the revenue tariffs are bringing, as if everyone didn't already know who is really footing the bill.
Economic Times
14 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Trump tariffs: Small businesses in America need to pay an extra $202 billion a year
Synopsis President Trump's tariff policies are negatively impacting small businesses and farms, forcing them to absorb increased costs. While the GOP tax bill offers some relief, uncertainty persists due to the administration's trade approach. iStock According to an estimate by the right-leaning US Chamber of Commerce, Trump's levies mean that small businesses will have to pay an extra $202 billion a year on tariffs. The economic policies passed in the first six months of President Donald Trump's term may yet bring a Golden Age, but so far they haven't for small farms and businesses. According to an estimate by the right-leaning US Chamber of Commerce, Trump's levies mean that small businesses will have to pay an extra $202 billion a year on tariffs, which works out to about $856,000 per company on optimism soared on Trump's victory and plunged when he announced tariffs; the right-leaning NFIB Small Business Optimism Index has recovered somewhat since 'Liberation Day' but has yet to reach the heights of Trump's first term in office, and response rates to the survey have fallen, suggesting some business owners may be too busy struggling to remain solvent to complete surveys. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index has declined for two months in a row. Compared with large companies, smaller enterprises are struggling to wait out the vicissitudes of Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs. Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear told me recently that he is already seeing the impact across his state on small businesses, small farms and consumers alike. 'We're all paying a hidden tax in the form of widespread tariffs,' he said. 'Look, it's not just me saying this. If Andy Beshear, [former GOP Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell and [GOP Senator] Rand Paul are all saying this is a bad idea, it's because it's a really bad idea.'Companies with fewer than 500 employees contribute 43.5% of the nation's gross domestic product. Small family farms still constitute 86% of all farms, according to federal data. But they lack the leverage and resources of larger enterprises and can find themselves at the mercy of forces over which they have little influence. 'They're what economists call 'price-takers,'' Louis Johnston, an economist and professor at St. John's University in Minnesota told me. 'It means you accept the world as it is. You don't have enough power to affect prices and you don't have much wiggle room on wages. You're stuck.' Big businesses, he said, are price-makers. 'They can eat some costs, pass some to consumers, reduce stockholder dividends or shave a bit off wages,' he said. 'If you're small, all you can do is take the hit.' Investors agree, and publicly traded small companies have seen their stocks become less attractive since Trump unveiled his tariff agenda on 'Liberation Day' in April. Republicans in Congress seem unwilling to place the slightest restraint on a president convinced of his infallibility on tariffs. Many companies are finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of absorbing the increased costs of tariffs, according to Scott Lincicome, director of general economics and trade studies at the Cato Institute. That's not sustainable, especially for smaller businesses, and Lincicome is projecting higher consumer prices this fall. Even before its most recent estimate of tariff costs, the Chamber of Commerce had rung the alarm in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that warned 'small businesses could suffer irreparable harm' from tariffs. 'The Chamber is hearing from small-business owners every day who are seeing their ability to survive endangered by the recent increase in tariff rates.'The GOP tax bill does grant some benefits to small businesses, such as a permanent extension on deductions. Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, told me that those benefits may become a lifeline. 'It would have put a lot of small businesses out of business if those provisions had not happened,' he a longtime Republican, remembers when his party saw free enterprise as an article of faith. He also recalls that the free-trade era carried its own challenges, particularly for smaller businesses that 'didn't always get a fair shake.' Loon believes that targeted tariffs, skillfully applied, 'can be incredibly beneficial.' Trump's broad-based approach 'has created great uncertainty among our businesses. And that is where disparities can occur.' Trump portrays tariffs as free money paid by countries that have 'ripped off' America. His new levies have already begun sending billions to the US Treasury. But the reality is that tariffs are a hidden tax mostly borne by US companies and consumers. According to Goldman Sachs data, US consumers have paid 22% of the cost of Trump's tariffs. Only 14% of the cost has been borne by foreign exporters. The other 64%? Eaten by American businesses. Trump has reset the table on trade. Unfortunately, in his hands, tariffs are a blunt instrument used to punish enemies, reward friends and bully other nations. He substitutes threats and intimidation for negotiations and diplomacy. The deals, such as they are, remain vague, with details often disputed by trading was just seven months ago that the International Monetary Fund declared the US economy would continue to lead the world in 2025. IMF officials said the US was growing at a faster clip than its economic competitors, with more productive workers and a more welcoming business environment, leaving Trump and the GOP well positioned to capitalize politically on those economic several key economic indicators are pointing in the wrong direction — a scenario largely of Trump's own making. Businesses are struggling to adapt to his ever-shifting landscape of tariffs. Farmers are getting clobbered by higher inputs and they've lost markets thanks to an administration that ended foreign food aid and cut nutrition programs. Meanwhile, the president brags about the revenue tariffs are bringing, as if everyone didn't already know who is really footing the bill.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
There may be a hefty price for hurting small businesses
THE economic policies passed in the first six months of President Donald Trump's term may yet bring a Golden Age, but so far they haven't for small farms and businesses. According to an estimate by the right-leaning US Chamber of Commerce, Trump's levies mean that small businesses will have to pay an extra US$202bil a year on tariffs, which works out to about US$856,000 per company on average. Small-business optimism soared on Trump's victory and plunged when he announced tariffs; the right-leaning IB Small Business Optimism Index has recovered somewhat since 'Liberation Day' but has yet to reach the heights of Trump's first term in office, and response rates to the survey have fallen, suggesting some business owners may be too busy struggling to remain solvent to complete surveys. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index has declined for two months in a row. Compared with large companies, smaller enterprises are struggling to wait out the vicissitudes of Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs. Democratic Kentucky governor Andy Beshear told this writer recently that he is already seeing the impact across his state on small businesses, small farms and consumers alike. 'We're all paying a hidden tax in the form of widespread tariffs,' he said. 'Look, it's not just me saying this. If Andy Beshear, (former Grand Old Party (GOP) Senate minority leader) Mitch McConnell and (GOP senator) Rand Paul are all saying this is a bad idea, it's because it's a really bad idea.' Companies with fewer than 500 employees contribute 43.5% of the nation's gross domestic product. Small family farms still constitute 86% of all farms, according to federal data. But they lack the leverage and resources of larger enterprises and can find themselves at the mercy of forces over which they have little influence. 'They're what economists call 'price-takers,'' Louis Johnston, an economist and professor at St John's University in Minnesota told me. 'It means you accept the world as it is. You don't have enough power to affect prices and you don't have much wiggle room on wages. You're stuck.' Big businesses, he said, are price-makers. 'They can eat some costs, pass some to consumers, reduce stockholder dividends or shave a bit off wages,' he said. 'If you're small, all you can do is take the hit.' Investors agree, and publicly traded small companies have seen their stocks become less attractive since Trump unveiled his tariff agenda on 'Liberation Day' in April. Many companies are finding themselves in the uncomfortable position of absorbing the increased costs of tariffs, according to Scott Lincicome, director of general economics and trade studies at the Cato Institute. That's not sustainable, especially for smaller businesses, and Lincicome is projecting higher consumer prices this fall. Even before its most recent estimate of tariff costs, the Chamber of Commerce had rung the alarm in a letter to Treasury secretary Scott Bessent that warned 'small businesses could suffer irreparable harm' from tariffs. 'The Chamber is hearing from small-business owners every day who are seeing their ability to survive endangered by the recent increase in tariff rates.' The GOP tax bill does grant some benefits to small businesses, such as a permanent extension on deductions. Doug Loon, president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce said those benefits may become a lifeline. 'It would have put a lot of small businesses out of business if those provisions had not happened,' he said. Loon, a longtime Republican, remembers when his party saw free enterprise as an article of faith. He also recalls that the free-trade era carried its own challenges, particularly for smaller businesses that 'didn't always get a fair shake.' Loon believes that targeted tariffs, skillfully applied, 'can be incredibly beneficial.' Trump's broad-based approach 'has created great uncertainty among our businesses. And that is where disparities can occur.' Trump portrays tariffs as free money paid by countries that have 'ripped off' America. His new levies have already begun sending billions to the US Treasury. But the reality is that tariffs are a hidden tax mostly borne by US companies and consumers. According to Goldman Sachs data, US consumers have paid 22% of the cost of Trump's tariffs. Only 14% of the cost has been borne by foreign exporters. The other 64%? Eaten by American businesses. Trump has reset the table on trade. Unfortunately, in his hands, tariffs are a blunt instrument used to punish enemies, reward friends and bully other nations. He substitutes threats and intimidation for negotiations and diplomacy. The deals, such as they are, remain vague, with details often disputed by trading partners. It was just seven months ago that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) declared the United States economy would continue to lead the world in 2025. IMF officials said the US was growing at a faster clip than its economic competitors, with more productive workers and a more welcoming business environment, leaving Trump and the GOP well positioned to capitalise politically on those economic gains. Now, several key economic indicators are pointing in the wrong direction – a scenario largely of Trump's own making. Businesses are struggling to adapt to his ever-shifting landscape of tariffs. Farmers are getting clobbered by higher inputs and they've lost markets thanks to an administration that ended foreign food aid and cut nutrition programmes. Meanwhile, the president brags about the revenue tariffs are bringing, as if everyone didn't already know who is really footing the bill. — Bloomberg Patricia Lopez is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering politics and policy. The views expressed here are the writer's own.
Indian Express
09-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Consumers' loss, farmer optimism: In US, trade war sees key groups at odds
April was one of the most important months in the world's economic history, with the Trump administration's reciprocal tariffs coming into force on April 2 before being put on pause for 90 days a week later. The threat of the reciprocal tariffs, however, has seemingly had the opposite effect as American companies stocked up ahead of the tariffs' rollout. Data released last week showed that while the US' goods and services trade deficit in April 2025 fell a record 55 per cent from March 2025 to a 19-month low of $61.6 billion, the deficit for the first four months of 2025 was up 66 per cent compared to a year ago. The basis of Trump's reciprocal tariffs was that it would help bring down the US' trade deficit with various countries. Take India, for instance, which enjoyed a total trade surplus of $46.09 billion with the US in 2024. However, India's merchandise trade surplus with the US for the first four months of 2025 increased by 45 per cent to $23.29 billion, with imports from India up 29 per cent according to latest data from the US commerce department. In January-April 2025, the US imported $9.49 billion of advanced technology products from India, up 86 per cent from a year ago. Consumers & farmers American consumers have, for long, been considered the biggest losers in the Trump administration's pursuit of balanced trade. According to non-partisan policy research center The Budget Lab at Yale, American households, on average, are facing a consumption loss of $2,500 in 2025 when prices are measured in 2024 levels. 'The post-substitution price increase settles at 1.3%, a $2,100 loss per household,' The Budget Lab at Yale said. The Budget Lab estimates that Americans are facing an overall average effective tariff rate of 15.6 per cent at present — the highest since 1937 — with segments such as clothing and textiles being affected the most. In the short run, shoe and apparel prices for US consumers are up 31 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively. Despite the pain from tariffs, some in the US are still upbeat; in fact, more so than in several years. The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index climbed to a four-year high last month, suggesting improved sentiment among farmers due to a 'much more optimistic view of US agricultural export prospects, combined with a less negative view of tariffs' impact on 2025 farm income than respondents provided in either March or April'. Exports are indeed on American farmers' minds, with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins having recently visited Italy as part of her 'aggressive travel agenda to promote American agriculture worldwide'. The trip to Italy follows one to the UK in May 2025, with India, Vietnam, Japan, Peru, and Brazil on Rollins' schedule over the coming months. Shifting views on free trade Rather ironically, even as US and Chinese officials meet in London on Monday to add to the preliminary agreement that was agreed last month, American farmers have over the years grown somewhat skeptical of how beneficial free trade is. As per the Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer, 18 per cent of producers in May 2025 either disagreed or strongly disagreed when presented with the statement that 'free trade benefits agriculture and most other American industries'. Back in December 2020, the corresponding number was just 7 per cent.
Epoch Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Optimism for American Agriculture Highest in 4 Years: Farmer Survey
Farmer sentiment in the United States jumped in May from the previous month, with producers expressing a more optimistic view of American agriculture trade prospects, Purdue University said in a June 3 The Purdue University-CME Group Ag Economy Barometer index hit 158 last month, up by 10 points from April, and has now recorded the highest level since May 2021. The index
