Pro-trade groups slam Trump tariffs on Tax Day

by Niv Elis - 04/15/19 5:17 PM ET

Pro-trade groups slammed the Trump administration on Monday for tariffs they say have cost Americans $69 billion since 2018, highlighting the figure on the day federal income tax filings are due.

“Tariffs are taxes that American families and businesses pay, period. With Tax Day upon us, the administration has an opportunity to establish a system to give back the tens of billions of dollars in taxes paid by American families in the form of tariffs,” the pro-trade campaign Tariffs Hurt the Heartland and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance wrote in a joint letter addressed to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

“Such a step would be welcome news to the American families who have paid hidden taxes over the past year due to tariffs,” they added.

{mosads}The Trump administration spent Monday highlighting tax breaks it says a majority of Americans should see in their paychecks as a result of the 2017 GOP tax law, even as polls show that only 18 percent of voters believe they are paying less in taxes this year.

The pro-trade groups said families paid an average of $500 each to cover the trade-related taxes.

Trump has imposed a series of tariffs on imports such as steel and aluminum as well as broad import taxes on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. U.S. trade partners hit with the tariffs have retaliated with their own taxes on American exports.

Tags Steven Mnuchin