Opposing view: Don’t tax hard-working American families

Tariffs are a huge problem in this country. The fact is, we already pay way too much in hidden taxes on just about every purchase we make as Americans — even before any additional tariffs President Trump has proposed or enacted take effect.

You may not realize it, but basic goods like footwear, apparel and household items are extremely price sensitive. Any cost increase at any point in the process, from production to the store shelf, adds directly to the final cost for shoppers. Unfortunately, working families bear the worst of the burden.

Let’s take footwear as an example. Shoes aren’t a luxury. They’re a necessity. Yet, they are already one of the highest-taxed imported goods, averaging 11% and rising to nearly 70% on some kids’ shoes. What’s worse, 99% of all shoes sold are imported, so virtually every pair purchased has a hidden tax buried in your receipt.

Beyond making sneakers and other consumer goods more expensive, higher tariffs cost good-paying U.S. jobs. Footwear, like many other industries, employs hundreds of thousands of dynamic workers who are unseen to consumers, such as designers, engineers, distributors and programmers. These vital workers are innovating every day to ensure that American consumers have access to great products, both online and in-store.

Rather than investing in our people or new technology to make the next great pair of kicks, or being able to pass savings on to consumers, American companies pay more than $3 billion to the government each year in tariffs. That’s enough to buy a week’s worth of groceries for more than 2 million families, or hire 48,000 new U.S. footwear workers at a $60,000 annual salary.

Getting tough on our trading partners like China for unfair trade practices makes a lot of sense. But taxing hard-working American families to accomplish that goal won’t get the job done or create new jobs. There must be a better way.