Trump's aluminum tariffs significantly affected the beverage industry in the US, says ITC report

The US International Trade Commission's (ITC) most recent report, which revealed that American businesses, not Chinese ones, incurred the majority of the costs associated with Section 232 tariffs on aluminium, prompted a response from the Beer Institute, the oldest national trade organisation that represents the beer industry.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) ruled in December 2022 that international trade laws were broken when Section 232 tariffs on aluminium were imposed. This report by the ITC follows the WTO's decision.

"Today's ITC report confirms what brewers have known since March of 2018: Section 232 tariffs on aluminum punish American job creators by increasing production costs, which ultimately trickle down to higher prices for consumers. These tariffs have cost the American beverage industry more than $1.7 billion since their enactment and have failed to create the significant number of jobs that were promised. We hope this report will discourage new tariffs on domestic manufacturers and encourage the Biden Administration to repeal Section 232 tariffs on aluminum and deliver relief for job creators and consumers," said Brian Crawford, president and CEO of the Beer Institute.

The Beer Institute has been vociferous about the harm Section 232 tariffs have caused to American brewers and beverage firms, as have its counterpart groups in the beverage sector. Beer Institute President and CEO Brian Crawford wrote an opinion post for Bloomberg Tax earlier this month that described the negative consequences of aluminium tariffs on the beer sector. The CEOs of the largest U.S. breweries wrote President Biden in July of last year, pleading with him to waive Section 232 tariffs on aluminium.

The Biden Administration will continue to be urged by the Beer Institute to provide relief to American brewers and beverage industries. The Beer Institute has long maintained a consistent drumbeat underlining the harm these tariffs have caused.