A new round of tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese products imported into the US went into effect on September 1. The Trump Administration said it planned to put a 10 percent duty on the imports, but President Trump tweeted later that he plans to raise the rate to 15 percent.
Nicole Vasilaros, senior vice president of government affairs for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, told Marketplace.org that the new duties will impact everything from PFDs to fishing equipment. “So your rods, your reels, your lures,” Vasilaros told the radio program. “All the stuff that you need to get out on a boat and go fishing and enjoy a fun and safe day on the water.”
Vasilaros said that the boating and fishing communities are already paying an excise tax that goes towards conservation. The new tariff will effectively be a second tax on the equipment. She said manufacturers will have to choose whether to pass additional costs onto consumers or absorb them.
“You don’t want to price people out of the market and discourage them completely from partaking in the activity,” she said. “Those are some real decisions to have to be made.”
