The beer lobby on Thursday asked President Trump to include an exception for brewers when his 10 percent tariff on aluminum imports is implemented and argued that it will unnecessarily harm its industry.
“This tariff on aluminum will hurt American breweries and beer importers that are employing Americans and producing beer, America’s most popular alcohol beverage. Our nation’s more than 5,000 active breweries are supporting more than 2.2 million jobs and helping to pour more than $350 billion into our national economy. This tariff will raise costs and slow the innovation that has made our nation’s beer industry more vibrant than at any point in history,” said Jim McGreevy, president of the Beer Institute, whose members include large brewers such as MillerCoors, Heineken USA, and Anheuser-Busch.
McGreevy warned that the 10 percent tariff would amount to a “$347 million annual tax on America’s brewers and beer importers” and warned that 20,000 workers in the industry were potentially at risk. He said the institute would “if possible” file an exclusion request with the Department of Commerce.
“It is critical that if the president and his administration choose to impose any tariffs, they be carefully targeted only to protect America’s national security interests. Imported aluminum used to make beer cans is not a threat to national security,” McGreevy said.
