JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax is taking a look at how President Donald Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on imported cars and parts could potentially impact local ports.
The White House said it expects to raise $100 billion in revenue annually due to the tariffs, while also leading to more car factories opening in the United States.
The Port of Brunswick is the busiest port in the nation for cars. It handled more than 900,000 units of autos and heavy equipment last year.
And JAXPORT is one of the nation’s most diversified ports.
Warren Smith, the president of the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1408, said JAXPORT is a vital player in the import automobile industry.
JAXPORT’s most recent car import numbers show it received more than 41,000 cars into the port in January.
“These purchases keep the economy moving,” said Smith. “The more cars you purchase, the more longshoremen you need, the more income revenue that we have to go out and buy houses and to circulate funds in our community.”
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Smith said if consumers purchase fewer cars because of this possible 25% tariff, port workers could feel the effects.
“It pushes the import down the road and so its less hours that longshoreman people who are dispatched through this union hall will ultimately get,” said Smith.
Read: US dockworkers approve 6-year contract, averting another strike
JAXPORT sent Action News Jax a statement:
JAXPORT is closely monitoring the tariff situation as it continues to develop. It is still too early to know what the impact will be on the port’s auto volumes until we have a better idea of how the industry and consumers will respond.
The Georgia Ports Authority, which controls the Port of Brunswick, also sent Action News Jax a statement:
We are closely monitoring the ongoing tariff discussions and related developments. Georgia Ports Authority’s Port of Brunswick is the primary hub for automotive logistics in the U.S. for both exports and imports of vehicles and heavy machinery, including a $262 million recent investment, strengthening port capacity and supply chain capabilities. Georgia Ports will continue to serve the people of the great State of Georgia and the economy of the U.S. as an essential part of the country’s maritime infrastructure.
The tariffs on autos would start being collected on April 3rd.
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