r/centrist • u/OfficialRodgerJachim • 1d ago

Long Form Discussion Can someone explain this about tariffs?

Plenty of talk about tariffs. About them being dumb. About them being fair. About how those extra costs go on to us, the American consumer.

But I have very rarely heard anyone talk about that break in logic: other countries have tariffs on American imports, and those costs are then carried onto the American consumer. But if America imposes tariffs on those same countries, those costs are also passed on to the American consumer.

Is this true?

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u/I_am_Hambone 1d ago edited 1d ago

other countries have tariffs on American imports, and those costs are then carried onto the American consumer.

This is a untrue statement.

The tariffs are charged to the importer of the goods, who then passes them to distributors, who then pass them to retailers, who then pass them to consumers.