Tariffs Are
a Tax on
Every American

Free trade made America prosperous — tariffs just make everything cost more

You’re Paying the Price

Tariffs are taxes on imports. U.S. consumers pay them in the form of higher prices.

Recent tariffs added $40 billion annually to consumer costs.

Working families feel the impact most

Higher Prices.
Lost Jobs. Bailouts.

Tariffs enacted through the end of 2024:

$ 0 B/Y

in added taxes -
$625 per household

0 K

jobs lost due
to retaliation. 75K manufacturing
jobs lost

$ 0 B

in farm
bailout payments

NO

measurable gain in trade balance

Get the Facts: Policy Reports on Tariffs and the Economy

01.

Trade Deficits: A Short Primer

Authored by Donald J. Boudreaux, Professor of Economics at George Mason University

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02.

The Case for Free Trade

Authored by David R. Henderson, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University

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03.

Did Tariffs Cause Early American Economic Growth?

Authored by Dr. Phillip W. Magness, Senior Fellow and the David J. Theroux Chair in Political Economy at the Independent Institute

Download Now

04.

Tariffs, the Middle Class, and Manufacturing: Why Protectionism Costs More than It Saves

Authored by Erica York, Vice President of Federal Tax Policy at the Tax Foundation

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Why Free Trade Works

Comparative advantage raises living standards and ensures dollars flow to the most productive uses—creating more high-paying jobs and maximizing economic growth for every dollar invested

The U.S. excels in high-value exports like advanced manufacturing, services, and technology

Protectionism reduces economic growth, destroys jobs, and suppresses wages by misallocating resources and propping up inefficient firms through cronyism.

Tariffs function as a tax on capital investment, making it more expensive to produce in the U.S. and killing manufacturing jobs.

Consumers pay the price—tariffs raise prices across the board, lowering living standards for American families.

Retaliation from trade partners hits U.S. manufacturers and farmers hard, shrinking export markets and global competitiveness.

Broad-based tariffs erode confidence in the U.S. economy, spark capital flight, drive up interest rates, and weaken the dollar—hurting the middle class through higher prices and reduced investment.

Trade deficits reflect global confidence in the U.S. economy, as foreign investment flows in to invest in U.S. assets.

Join the Movement for Economic Sanity & Stability

01

Sign the Petition

Raise your voice against harmful trade policies. Add your name and demand change from your representatives.

Sign the Petition

02

Educate your Lawmakers

Share these white papers and materials with your Members of Congress

Email Your Members of Congress

03

Download All Policy Reports

Download the full collection to access detailed analysis, historical context, and actionable solutions rooted in free-market principles. 

Download Report Package

What Experts Are Saying

If the President wants faster growth and less market turmoil, he can help by ending his tariff campaign. Then get Congress to move on a tax- and spending-cut bill, and press ahead with deregulation. The main lesson from Trump vs. Powell is that the central bank can’t make up for the economic policy errors of politicians."

Wall Street Journal Editorial (April 2024)

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FTF_Negative

Club for Growth Foundation

Educating about Free Markets Since 2019

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