SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Hardware hacker Bunnie Huang has written concrete details in his blog about how the new US tariffs are anti-maker and will promote offshoring. However, it is not quite too late ... yet. With the right pushback it might be possible to salvage the situation.
The new 25% tariffs announced by the USTR, set to go into effect on July 6th, are decidedly anti-Maker and ironically pro-offshoring. I've examined the tariff lists (List 1 and List 2), and it taxes the import of basic components, tools and sub-assemblies, while giving fully assembled goods a free pass. The USTR's press release is careful to mention that the tariffs "do not include goods commonly purchased by American consumers such as cellular telephones or televisions."
[...] There is a sliver of good news in all of this for American Makers. The list of commodities targeted in the trade war is not yet complete. The "List 2" items – which include all manner of microchips, motors, and plastics (such as 3D printer PLA filament and acrylic sheets for laser cutting) that are building blocks for small businesses and Makers – have yet to be ratified. The USTR website has indicated in the coming weeks they will disclose a process for public review and comment.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 23 2018, @05:26PM (1 child)
Stick it to China, Trump. Get concessions from the Chinese as they have been flagrantly violating agreements with us for decades, and the agreements were written to favor China at that because they were a developing nation back then starting from nothing. Time for a renegotiation and for China to see their #1 customer has leverage over them.
It's necessary and long overdue.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 23 2018, @05:55PM
I'm assuming you've paid the licensing fee for every piece of software and movie you've watched?