By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
WASHINGTON – The price of home heating oil, New Hampshire’s largest import from Canada could go up in price, impacting 350,000 households if President Donald Trump makes good tomorrow on threatened 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico as expected, all four members of the states congressional delegation are warning.
In a letter dispatched to Trump Friday afternoon the New Hampshire congressional delegation warned the impacts will be felt here on those who rely on heating oil, propane and wood from Canada.
Trump is expected to act on the tariffs on Saturday.
“We write to urge you not to place sweeping tariffs on imports, especially from our closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico, which will place a tax on Americans and dramatically increase costs for families and small businesses in New Hampshire,” said U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Congressman Chris Pappas, and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, all Democrats.
“During your campaign, you promised to ‘bring down the price of everything. Despite that promise, sweeping tariffs would be a tax on Americans that raises the cost of everything from cars and gas to housing and groceries,” the letter said.
The members of the delegation estimate that a middle-class household is likely to pay $1,100 more per year as a result.
The letter notes that according to groups including convenience stores, truck stops and heating fuel distributors, “levying tariffs on crude oil and other petroleum product imports would increase the cost of gasoline, diesel fuel, heating oil and propane for millions of American consumers,” and “impact the cost of goods and services across virtually all sectors of the economy.”
Irving is a company that is based in New Brunswick, Canada and has stores all across the state.
It cites the National Energy & Fuels Institute, which represents wholesale and retail liquid heating fuel distributors throughout the Northeast which estimates that tariffs could increase heating costs by at least $375 per winter for a home in New Hampshire.
Older, larger homes and those in the coldest parts of the state could see an added cost of at least $625.
“This is unaffordable and unacceptable,” the delegation wrote. “These taxes would raise families’ grocery bills, too. The type of broad tariffs you’ve proposed could raise food costs by $200 per year for the average household. That’s because the U.S. imports 38 percent of our fresh vegetables, 60 percent of our fresh fruit, and more than 99 percent of our coffee. This is the last thing families need when they’re already struggling with record high prices for eggs or coffee.”
Trump has said the tariffs are needed to get better cooperation at the border with the United States from neighboring Canada and Mexico and that not enough has been done to protect United States citizens from illegals.
“Finally, it seems counterproductive to have your first targets for tariffs be Canada and Mexico. Not only are these America’s two largest trading partners, but that success is in part due to your work in negotiating the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to support free and fair trade in North America.
“That agreement has supported a 21 percent increase to U.S. exports to Mexico and an 18 percent increase in U.S. exports to Canada. Taxing all imports from our neighbors would undermine USMCA and weaken America’s credibility in negotiating future trade agreements.
“We urge you to focus on bringing down prices and reconsider the wisdom of placing sweeping tariffs on imports that would raise prices for our constituents,” it read.
