Local business owners in the Susquehanna Valley say they’re keeping a close eye on potential tariffs amid now-delayed efforts to implement the measures on Canadian and Mexican imports.Because many businesses use imported products as part of the services and products they sell and serve, some proprietors on Monday said they were already dealing with inflated costs but were concerned about the prospect of facing additional expenses.Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co. in Downtown Harrisburg, said in many cases business owners who deliver products to customers are faced with the dilemma of either eating increased costs or raising prices to offset the effects of tariffs.Grove said tariffs for Colombian and Mexican goods – both of which were either canceled or delayed by Monday afternoon or the prior days – could force her to make difficult business decisions.”If we could bring manufacturing back to Harrisburg I would love that but the reality is it doesn’t exist, so the tariffs are sort of like giving you a direction but not giving you a map on how to get there,” she said.Some viewed the threat of tariffs as merely a political tool to effect changes on border security, pointing to the planned deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops in Mexico to the border with the United States.”Is this a negotiation tactic or is this going to be the policy? A lot of businesses are saying, ‘It’s early. Let’s let this play out and see if Pennsylvania and America can get a better deal,'” said Luke Bernstein, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.
Local business owners in the Susquehanna Valley say they’re keeping a close eye on potential tariffs amid now-delayed efforts to implement the measures on Canadian and Mexican imports.
Because many businesses use imported products as part of the services and products they sell and serve, some proprietors on Monday said they were already dealing with inflated costs but were concerned about the prospect of facing additional expenses.
Andrea Grove, owner of Elementary Coffee Co. in Downtown Harrisburg, said in many cases business owners who deliver products to customers are faced with the dilemma of either eating increased costs or raising prices to offset the effects of tariffs.
Grove said tariffs for Colombian and Mexican goods – both of which were either canceled or delayed by Monday afternoon or the prior days – could force her to make difficult business decisions.
“If we could bring manufacturing back to Harrisburg I would love that but the reality is it doesn’t exist, so the tariffs are sort of like giving you a direction but not giving you a map on how to get there,” she said.
Some viewed the threat of tariffs as merely a political tool to effect changes on border security, pointing to the planned deployment of 10,000 National Guard troops in Mexico to the border with the United States.
“Is this a negotiation tactic or is this going to be the policy? A lot of businesses are saying, ‘It’s early. Let’s let this play out and see if Pennsylvania and America can get a better deal,'” said Luke Bernstein, president of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.
