Trump tax tiff

Washington– US businesses paid an additional $2.7 billion (about R38 billion) in tariffs in November 2018, according to data from a coalition of US business groups fighting President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs.

The group, which brands itself “Tariffs Hurt the Heartland” and includes the Americans for Free Trade coalition and Farmers for Free Trade, crunches tariff payment data nationally.

The data is part of a monthly series called the Tariff Tracker, which the group releases in a tie-up with The Trade Partnership, a Washington-based international trade and economic consulting firm.

The group’s spokesperson, former Republican congressman Charles Boustany, said the data shows Americans, not foreign competitors, are the big losers in the trade war.