BOISE, Idaho — A new development in the brewing trade war between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada: The U.S. is delaying tariffs for 30 days on those countries. However, a 10% tariff remains for China.
We spoke to a political science professor about the effects consumers could see on prices from food goods to car parts if these tariffs are put into place.
Ross Burkhart, a political science professor at Boise State says, “Prices on goods that the countries have imported into the United States are likely to rise, and these tariffs are very steep—25%, so that's a pretty substantial increase.”
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump announced that his administration will implement a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico and 10% on China. But by the afternoon, the U.S. came to a deal with both Canada and Mexico to temporarily pause the increase.
If tariffs did go through, that would mean higher prices for goods coming out of the three countries.
According to Professor Burkhart, the global average tariff rate is about 2.5%. This increase could mean higher prices for food, auto parts, and lumber.
“The auto manufacturers use all three countries as part of the production process for automobiles, and if tariffs rise to a fairly high level, it may simply impede the cost of doing automobile manufacturing,” says Burkhart.
Brian Dickens is the owner of the Bench Garage on Vista. He says some impacts would be felt right away, no matter how old or new your car may be.
Dickens said, "Because of the filters—maybe the filters are made in Mexico—just that filter, instead of it costing $4 for the consumer, it might cost $5, but that’s something you have to get done two to three times a year."
With these tariffs, Dickens says your oil changes could cost more; however, he says it could take months or even years before we see a direct impact on some car parts as local shops burn through the supplies they have on hand before reordering.
Dickens adds, “Some of these parts that we get for cars actually sit on a shelf for a year, two years, or six months unless there’s a part that’s in need that you’re going to see.”
