ACCA: Steel tariffs could hurt members
Add the Air Conditioning Contractors of America to the list of construction industry groups disagreeing with the Trump administration’s decision to impose new taxes on steel and aluminum.
Paul T. Stalknecht, the ACCA president and CEO, said he is worried the 25 percent tariff on imported steel and 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum will hurt consumers and his members if the public reacts to price increases due to any hikes in material costs.
“ACCA is concerned that increased costs of HVACR equipment caused by tariffs on steel and aluminum will negatively impact professional contractors and consumers,” Stalknecht said. “When the price of HVACR equipment increases, consumers who are in need of a new system trend toward cut-rate and unqualified individuals to service or replace their equipment. It also shifts the mindset of consumers to opt for putting Band-Aids on aging systems instead of replacing them with today’s more efficient products.”
President Donald Trump announced the tariffs Thursday. In a series of posts on Twitter in the days since, he has said the tariffs are aimed at fixing the U.S. trade imbalance.
“We are on the losing side of almost all trade deals,” Trump tweeted Sunday. “Our friends and enemies have taken advantage of the U.S. for many years. Our steel and aluminum industries are dead.”
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