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More aluminum tariffs??

unclebun

Active Member
I saw a more detailed article saying the main issue they were dealing with was that China has been getting around the tariffs on them by trans-shipping through those other 18 countries; those countries don't actually produce the aluminum.
 

Notarealsignguy

Arial - it's almost helvetica
I saw a more detailed article saying the main issue they were dealing with was that China has been getting around the tariffs on them by trans-shipping through those other 18 countries; those countries don't actually produce the aluminum.
Either way, its gonna hit this industry. The biggest issue that I have with tariffs is that everyone raises their prices. They are supposed to put everything on a level playing field but that's not how it works in reality. If US producers are at $1000 a ton and foreign is $500, then when a $500 tariff is added to the foreign supply, the US producers just raise theirs to $1500. The same thing happened with truck tires 8-10 years ago.
 

ikarasu

Active Member
Whats with you guys and aluminum tarrifs? You just tried the same thing with Canada, then caved at the last second when we threatened retaliatory tarrifs on key Trump states. I can see all these countries doing the same... A Tarrif during an election year isn't a smart idea! (Not that I agree with them ever)

But it seems to be a sticking point where they get added...then removed, then re-added, then removed... I'm not an economist so I can't speak on if there really is a problem that needs them... but doesnt that provide uncertainty in your market?

I've been paying the same $90 CAD ($68.50 usd) for a 5x10 .080 sheet of aluminum for the past 6+ years. Does your prices fluctuate based on these tariffs, or does it not really impact you guys?
 

Bobby H

Arial Sucks.
The tariffs on steel and aluminum have not worked. If anything the tariffs have backfired. Steel mills in places like Michigan ended up laying off thousands of employees anyway. But other industries, such as the auto industry, have laid off far more workers.
 

unclebun

Active Member
Whats with you guys and aluminum tarrifs? You just tried the same thing with Canada, then caved at the last second when we threatened retaliatory tarrifs on key Trump states. I can see all these countries doing the same... A Tarrif during an election year isn't a smart idea! (Not that I agree with them ever)

But it seems to be a sticking point where they get added...then removed, then re-added, then removed... I'm not an economist so I can't speak on if there really is a problem that needs them... but doesnt that provide uncertainty in your market?

I've been paying the same $90 CAD ($68.50 usd) for a 5x10 .080 sheet of aluminum for the past 6+ years. Does your prices fluctuate based on these tariffs, or does it not really impact you guys?
The price has not fluctuated. In 6 years it's gone up a smidge.
 

rossmosh

New Member
The tariffs on steel and aluminum have not worked. If anything the tariffs have backfired. Steel mills in places like Michigan ended up laying off thousands of employees anyway. But other industries, such as the auto industry, have laid off far more workers.

Depends on what you believe was the original intention.

Was the original intention to actually bring back manufacturing? If it was, it's been an absolute failure.

It's far more likely the intention was a tax hike on the QT, which was masked as a fight against China. If that's the case, then yes, it generated some tax revenues.
 

Bobby H

Arial Sucks.
rossmosh said:
Depends on what you believe was the original intention.

The original intention was to try to save steel mill jobs. The tariffs didn't even manage to do that.

rossmosh said:
It's far more likely the intention was a tax hike on the QT, which was masked as a fight against China. If that's the case, then yes, it generated some tax revenues.

I doubt the tariffs have done that either. The materials cost hikes, declines in sales and tens of thousands of workers losing their jobs amounts to a pretty big negative hit to the tax base.
 

unclebun

Active Member
Yeah, well, it's unlikely for the tariff to have brought back the jobs if 18 other countries just trans-shipped the tariffed materials and China was still supplying all the material that way without the tariff being applied.
 
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