TRUMP TAX WATCH: Thanks to Donald, Your Favorite Brewery Might Suffer

CONTACT:
Gwen Pepin
[email protected]

Chicago, IL — In response to Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on the aluminum that so many local breweries depend on, the Democratic Party of Illinois released the following statement:

“Donald Trump’s aluminum tax will hurt local brewers and bar owners, as well the wallets of the patrons who turn local bars and breweries into beloved staples that generate money in their neighborhoods. With Donald’s tariff tirade looming, Illinoisans will now have to worry about something as simple as the opportunity to crack open a cold one.”

Trump isn’t going to make corporate power players pay for his tariff policies–small businesses and working families will.

Potential fallout of the aluminum tax:

• Block Club Chicago: Chicago Brewers Fear Trump Tariffs Will Hit Canadian Suppliers: ‘I Can’t See Any Good For Us’
  • Spiteful Brewing co-founder Jason Klein spent part of Monday crunching numbers and questioning how he’ll make it if the cost of his supplies from Canada go up.
  • The Lincoln Square brewery has found stable footing with a can supplier in Ontario willing to work with a “Chicago pool” of breweries splitting a truckload at a time, “because we’re all too small to handle more,” Klein said.
  • But Klein and other small business owners are sweating out President Donald Trump’s looming threats to impose 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports, which would bring unforeseen consequences for goods made or shipped across country lines and often through Chicago, a central hub for trade.
  • “We couldn’t absorb that much of a tax,” Klein said. “But it’s also not simple to change providers. I can’t see any good for us.”

• WCIA: Urbana business keeping an eye on tariffs:
  • “Going to lead to higher prices for consumer and, for example, for beer products. And it will lead to reduced profit margins for aluminum can exporters in Canada,” Dan Bernhardt, University of Illinois economics and finance professor, said.

• Illinois Craft Brewers Guild:
  • A 25% tariff on aluminum will be devastating for Illinois.
    Our craft breweries could see a $10.2 million increase in packaging costs, testing their already delicate supply chains and razor-thin margins. Ultimately, our small brewery owners and customers will pay the price.