How Do Tariffs Protect Domestic Industries? (2024)

Tariffs are taxes on imports. They effectively raise the prices of those imports, providing an edge to domestic companies in the same markets. Governments usually impose tariffs to help domestic companies, or sometimes to punish foreign competitors for unfair trading practices. However, tariffs can also have harmful consequences for domestic companies, especially ones in related industries, as well as consumers.

Understanding Tariffs

Tariffs are paid by importing businesses to their own government, with most costs passed on to consumers of those goods or services somewhere down the line. Tariffs are not paid by foreign companies that produced the goods or the governments of their home countries. Tariffs are usually used to protect struggling domestic industries against foreign competition or unfair practices such as dumping and foreign government subsidies.

There are two basic types of tariff: an ad valorem tax and a specific tariff. An ad valorem tax, the most common type, is levied as a percentage of the value of the good or service. A specific tariff sets a fixed fee by weight or number of items.

Key Takeaways

  • Tariffs are a tax on imports paid by importing companies in the country that imposed the tax. The cost is usually passed on to consumers.
  • Tariffs are meant to protect domestic industries by raising prices on their competitors' products.
  • However, tariffs can also hurt domestic companies in related industries while raising prices for consumers.
  • Tariffs can also erode competitiveness in the protected industries.

The Declining Use of Tariffs

Most economists believe tariffs hinder trade and economic growth while raising prices for consumers in tariff-implementing countries. This is why their use has fallen dramatically since World War II. The average level of tariffs on industrial goods has fallen from about 40% at the end of the war to about 2% today.

Still, most countries maintain at least small tariffs on some goods, especially ones of special domestic importance. The U.S., for example, still keeps a tariff of 25% on light pickup trucks, while the European Union maintains a 10% import tax on cars from the U.S. and other countries.

Steel and the Ripple Effects of Tariffs

Ex-President Donald Trump's steel tariffs illustrate one-way tariffs can be harmful as well as helpful. The U.S. steel industry has for years suffered from unfair trading practices overseas, particularly government subsidies that enabled Chinese producers to dump steel at low prices. In 2018, Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on steel imports in an effort to protect the domestic industry, including factory jobs in important "rust belt" swing states such as Pennsylvania.

While those tariffs have helped U.S. steelmakers, they have forced many U.S. companies that need steel for their products—especially automakers—to pay higher prices. This, in turn, can lead to higher prices for those downstream products and threaten jobs in downstream industries. As of May 2021, there were approximately 69,000 U.S. steelworkers.

Tariffs and Higher Prices for Consumers

Trump's washing machine tariffs show how import taxes can raise consumer prices—and not just on the targeted imports. Research by the University of Chicago and the U.S. Federal Reserve found that while the washing machine tariffs brought in $82 million a year to the U.S. Treasury, the cost to U.S. consumers was $1.5 billion a year. That's because U.S. producers raised their prices on washing machines and a range of other goods.

The washing machine tariffs helped create about 1,800 manufacturing jobs, the Fed concluded, but the cost to the U.S. as a whole was about $817,000 per job.

The Bottom Line on Tariffs

As illustrated above, tariffs often end up hurting other domestic companies in related industries as well as consumers. Yet many economists also argue that they often protect weak companies that should be allowed to fail, and over the longer term they erode the competitiveness of viable companies because those companies aren't forced to compete on an even playing field with foreign firms.

How Do Tariffs Protect Domestic Industries? (2024)

FAQs

How Do Tariffs Protect Domestic Industries? ›

Tariffs are intended to protect local industries by making imports more expensive and driving consumers to domestic producers. Unfair trading practices. Some tariffs are meant to counteract specific measures taken by foreign countries or firms.

How can tariffs help domestic businesses? ›

Tariffs are taxes on imports. They effectively raise the prices of those imports, providing an edge to domestic companies in the same markets. Governments usually impose tariffs to help domestic companies, or sometimes to punish foreign competitors for unfair trading practices.

How are tariffs used to protect domestic industries from losing business? ›

The government of a developing economy will levy tariffs on imported goods in industries in which it wants to foster growth. This increases the prices of imported goods and creates a domestic market for domestically produced goods while protecting those industries from being forced out by more competitive pricing.

How do tariffs affect domestic production? ›

If you are a consumer, tariffs affect you because they result in an increase in the price of imported goods. If you are a domestic producer, tariffs can help you by making your goods cheaper compared to international goods, thus helping your business.

Who benefits from tariffs domestically? ›

Governments impose tariffs on imported goods and services to make them more expensive to consumers. Tariffs provide revenue to the government and give a price advantage to domestic producers.

What are the positive effects of tariffs? ›

According to Investopedia, tariffs can have the following positive effects:
  • Discourage foreign industries from importing cheaper goods. ...
  • Level the playing field by eliminating a foreign industry's competitive advantage.
  • Create employment within a country by encouraging an industry to manufacture its own products.
Jan 21, 2022

How does a tariff help make domestic goods seem more appealing? ›

By making foreign-produced goods more expensive, tariffs can make domestically produced alternatives seem more attractive. Some products made in countries with fewer regulations can harm consumers, such as a product coated in lead-based paint. Tariffs can make these products so expensive that consumers won't buy them.

Is a tariff a tax and protects domestic industries? ›

A tariff is a tax on imported goods that is designed to make them more expensive for consumers and thus, make domestically produced goods more competitive. A tariff aims to protect local industries from foreign competition, generate revenue for the government, and influence trade relations between countries.

What type of tariff is designed to protect domestic industries? ›

Import tariffs, as the name suggests, are taxes on imported goods. These are the most common types of tariff and are used to protect domestic industries and generate revenue.

Are tariffs good or bad for business? ›

Tariffs affect everyone. An increase in tariffs directly increases a company's spendings and decreases profits. Many businesses thus increase their product prices as companies are not left with many alternatives to increase gross profit margin.

How does the tariff affect domestic producers and consumer surplus? ›

How does a tariff impact efficiency? The tariff will increase producer surplus and will bring in tax revenue for the government (perhaps to produce public goods) but consumers will have to pay a higher price and their consumer surplus will be reduced.

Who benefits the most from tariffs? ›

Tariffs mainly benefit the importing countries, as they are the ones setting the policy and receiving the money. The primary benefit is that tariffs produce revenue on goods and services brought into the country. Tariffs can also serve as an opening point for negotiations between two countries.

Which tariff is used for domestic consumers? ›

Detailed Solution. Two-Part Tariff: When the rate of electrical energy is charged based on maximum demand of the consumer and the units consumed, it is called a two-part tariff.

What are the pros and cons of tariffs? ›

Tariffs can also be an opening point for negotiations between two countries and an instrument for creating a friendly competitive environment for domestic companies. But, for domestic consumers, tariffs reduce their benefits. The price of imported goods is becoming more expensive.

Why do domestic producers gain from tariffs? ›

For example, if a tariff is imposed on a good imported into the United States, a domestic producer of the same good may decide that they can increase prices to maximize revenue while remaining competitive in the market.

What are the 3 main effects of tariffs? ›

Tariffs are a tax placed by the government on imports. They raise the price for consumers, lead to a decline in imports, and can lead to retaliation by other countries.

Are tariffs good or bad for the economy? ›

Tariffs have long been used to prop up homegrown industries by inducing citizens to buy goods produced domestically. Since the end of World War II, however, tariffs have largely fallen out of favor in developed economies because they often lead to reduced trade, higher prices for consumers, and retaliation from abroad.

Do tariffs increase domestic consumer surplus? ›

An import tariff lowers consumer surplus and raises producer surplus in the import market. An import tariff by a small country has no effect on consumers, producers, or national welfare in the foreign country.

What is an example of a tariff in the United States? ›

There are many examples of tariffs imparted by the United States, ranging from 1930's Smoot-Hawley tariff, which imparted a tariff on imported agricultural products, or the Fordney-McCumber tariff, a tariff on many imported goods.

Do the benefits gained from tariffs outweigh the negative consequences? ›

Trade barriers, such as tariffs, have been demonstrated to cause more economic harm than benefit; they raise prices and reduce availability of goods and services, thus resulting, on net, in lower income, reduced employment, and lower economic output.

Why are tariffs considered protective? ›

Protective tariffs are designed to shield domestic production from foreign competition by raising the price of the imported commodity. Revenue tariffs are designed to obtain revenue rather than to restrict imports.

What is the meaning of domestic tariff? ›

The units operating under certain specific schemes such as EPZ/SEZ/EOU are expected to carry out their activities within a customs bonded area. Any area which is not under the jurisdiction of a custom bonded area is called a Domestic Tariff Area.

How import substitution can protect domestic industry? ›

Import Substitution Strategy not only reduces an economy's dependence on the foreign goods but also provides impetus to the domestic firms. Government provides various financial encouragements, incentives, licenses to the domestic producers to produce domestically the import substituted goods.

Are tariffs used to give domestically produced goods? ›

Tariffs are a tax placed on goods. Tariffs are used to give domestically produced goods in the market.

What type of tariff is high enough to protect less efficient domestic industries? ›

A protective tariff is one that is high enough to protect less efficient domestic industries.

What are protective tariffs and what role did they play during industrialization? ›

The purpose of protective tariffs is to promote domestic industrialization by shielding local industries from foreign competitors. In addition to improving the domestic industrial setup, protective tariffs also protect the country's currency.

What is an example of a protective tariff? ›

For example, if similar cloth for sale in America cost $4 in for a version imported from Britain (including additional shipping, etc.) and $4 for a version originating in the United States, the American government may wish to impose a protective tariff to make the price of British cloth higher for Americans.

Are tariffs good for workers? ›

While tariffs benefited some workers in import-competing industries, they hurt workers in sectors that rely on imported inputs and those in exporting industries facing retaliation from trade partners.

Do tariffs create larger gains to domestic producers than losses to domestic consumers? ›

Tariffs encourage the deflection of trade to inefficient producers in order to avoid tariffs, and smuggling to evade tariffs; such distortions reduce welfare. Further, consumers lose more from a tariff than producers gain, so there is “deadweight loss”.

Why do tariffs increases domestic producer surplus but decrease domestic consumer surplus? ›

Importing Country Consumers - Consumers of the product in the importing country suffer a reduction in well-being as a result of the tariff. The increase in the domestic price of both imported goods and the domestic substitutes reduces the amount of consumer surplus in the market.

Who benefits from quotas and tariffs? ›

While tariffs generate revenue that is paid to the importing country's treasury, the value of a quota, also called “quota rents,” generally goes to the foreign exporters who are able to sell goods subject to the quota at higher prices and collect higher per unit revenue.

Who benefits from no tariffs? ›

Reducing tariff barriers leads to trade creation

Trade creation occurs when consumption switches from high-cost producers to low-cost producers. Essentially, removing tariffs leads to lower prices for consumers – so the price of imported food, clothes and computers will be lower.

Who has the highest tariffs in the world? ›

List of countries by tariff rate
RankCountryTariff rate, applied, weighted mean, all products (%)
1Palau34.63 %
2Solomon Islands30.28 %
3Bermuda27.59 %
4Saint Kitts and Nevis21.06 %
114 more rows

Who benefited from protective tariffs? ›

A protective tariff is an unusually high tariff designed to shield a nation's manufacturers from potentially fatal foreign competition. They were opposed in the South because the South had little to benefit from protective tariffs.

Do domestic producers prefer tariffs or quotas? ›

Domestic producers refer to producers who produce goods and services for the local market. Domestic producers would prefer tariffs than quotas because they will increase the cost of imported goods; therefore, their products will be able to compete with imported goods.

Why do governments impose tariffs? ›

There is a myriad of reasons governments initiate tariffs, such as protecting nascent industries, fortifying national defense, nurturing employment domestically, and protecting the environment.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using tariffs as protection to trade? ›

Advantages to trade protectionism include the possibility of a better balance of trade and the protection of emerging domestic industries. Disadvantages include a lack of economic efficiency and lack of choice for consumers. Countries also have to worry about retaliation from other countries.

What are two disadvantages of a tariff in two to three sentences? ›

In two or three sentences, give two disadvantages of a tariff. Tariffs raise the price of imports. This impacts consumers in the country applying the tariff in the form of costlier imports. When trading partners retaliate with their own tariffs, it raises the cost of doing business for exporting industries.

How do tariffs affect local businesses? ›

Tariffs affect everyone. An increase in tariffs directly increases a company's spendings and decreases profits. Many businesses thus increase their product prices as companies are not left with many alternatives to increase gross profit margin.

Do domestic consumers benefit from tariffs? ›

The purpose of tariffs is to increase import costs for certain goods. For domestic consumers, this reduces the demand for imported goods because they are more expensive. For exporters, tariffs make their products uncompetitive in the markets of the destination country.

How import tariffs protect domestic producers against foreign competitors? ›

Import tariffs protect domestic producers against foreign competitors. By lowering production costs, subsidies help foreign competitors gain export markets. In recent decades, a fall in subsidies, quotas, and voluntary export restraints has been accompanied by a rise in tariff barriers.

What are three effects tariffs have on the economy? ›

Related Articles. A tariff is a tax levied on an imported good with the intent to limit the volume of foreign imports, protect domestic employment, reduce competition among domestic industries, and increase government revenue.

How do countries control trade to protect their domestic industries? ›

The four primary tools used in trade protectionism are tariffs, subsidies, quotas, and currency manipulation.

Do tariffs hurt foreign consumers? ›

Economists have long known that tariffs harm consumers. A new analysis finds tariffs likely hurt female consumers more because of the tariff rates assigned to many products made for women. Earlier research from the U.S. International Trade Commission reached the same conclusion.

Are protective tariffs imposed to protect domestic industry from foreign competition? ›

Protective tariffs are taxes, dues, or fees placed on foreign goods. They are a tool countries use to protect domestic industries by reducing competition from international businesses. In addition to taxes, duties, and fees, tariffs can take the form of other restrictions on imported goods.

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