A local business owner says tariffs on American-made goods like whiskey have stunted the growth of his company and thousands more nationwide.
After the Trump Administration placed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, European and Asian countries fought back with 25% tariffs on products such as motorcycles and bourbon. CEO of Cleveland Whiskey Tom Lix said his company’s overseas sales were booming before the tariffs, but this situation has halted the growth.
“The whiskies that we make right here in Cleveland – I’ve got demand in Europe, I’ve got demand in Japan, I’ve got demand in China, and what we’re doing is we’re essentially creating a tax that makes my products more expensive in those markets. That’s not a good thing. I’ve got something that’s in great demand, but our government is doing things that make it less likely that people will buy it in those markets.”
Lix hopes the U.S and countries that placed the retaliatory tariffs will work towards some sort of compromise.
