Beer Institute Urges Immediate Removal of Section 232 Tariffs on Aluminum

The American beverage industry has paid $1.4 billion in tariffs since 2018

WASHINGTON — The Beer Institute, which represents the American brewing industry, released the following statement today in response to U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo’s interview on CNN, where she discussed lifting some tariffs put in place by former-President Donald Trump.

“We are disappointed the Administration continues to overlook the harmful impact of the Section 232 aluminum tariffs on American families and consumers, and especially American brewers,” said Beer Institute Director of Public Affairs Alex Davidson. “We agree with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo that tariff relief results in inflation relief, which is why we urge the Administration to lift the Section 232 tariffs and provide critical relief to American workers and domestic job creators.”

The American beverage industry has paid more than $1.4 billion in Section 232 aluminum tariffs since 2018. Of that $1.4 billion, $1.305 billion (92%) went to U.S. rolling mills, U.S. smelters and Canadian smelters – not the U.S. Treasury. Multiple organizations have stated that removing tariffs would bring down inflation, including the Progressive Policy Institute, which recently said, “Tariffs are easily the most regressive of all U.S. taxes, forcing the poor to pay more than anyone else.”  In March, the Peterson Institute for International Economics released a study discussing how trade liberalization, including lifting tariffs, would help reduce inflation.

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