PHOENIX (June 5, 2019)—Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer released the following statement regarding today’s meeting between United States and Mexican officials on the subject of the planned imposition of a 5% tariff on goods imported from Mexico:
“While we were hopeful that an agreement could have been reached that would ensure the new tariffs won’t be implemented, I am encouraged that the two sides are talking. The dialogue must continue.
“The migrant crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is very real, but its solution lies in continued cooperation and coordination between our two countries. Hitting the nation’s largest trading partner with tariffs and saddling the U.S. economy with the equivalent of a $17 billion tax increase—over $450 million in Arizona alone—won’t solve the migrant crisis and it will only hurt job creators and consumers in both countries.
“Mexico is a friend and ally. Our economic relationship has been defined by tariff-free trade for decades. Let’s keep it that way.”
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