A dozen House lawmakers have introduced legislation to remove President Trump's tariffs on Canadian newsprint so a study can be done on how much those tariffs are crushing local newspapers around the country, reports the Washington Examiner.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., is a response to the 22 percent tariff that the Trump administration has imposed on some Canadian newsprint since the beginning of this year. Noem said that tariff has led to rising costs for local newspapers, and are a threat to their survival.
"In recent years, new tariffs on Canadian newsprint have increased paper prices by 20 to 30 percent," Noem said in a statement. "That's significant. A paper that services around 20,000 customers, for instance, could see paper costs rise by about a quarter-million dollars annually, threatening the newspaper's survival."
Under the bill, U.S. tariffs on newsprint would be put on hold until the Commerce Department studies "the negative impact the tariffs have on our hometown newspapers."
-RW
The Cheeto in Chief lunacy in action! Make Murica Dumber Again
ReplyDeleteShitty reporting and the Internet have done more harm than any tariff.
ReplyDeleteThe margin is already quite small for many smaller newspapers, especially considering electronic media competition. To take steps that will inevitably raise their costs and no doubt drive some of them out of business won't actually help the American paper producers, because they will see a portion of their market disappear. Bad policy all around, hurting everyone involved.
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