Idaho exports more than $4 billion worth of goods and services annually. Of all its exporters, 85% are small or medium businesses, according to the Idaho District Export Council. Those businesses are among the hardest hit by Trump Administration tariffs.
Tariffs affect both directions of international consumer trade, Kristin Kyle-McQuesten with the Idaho District Export Council told Idaho Matters on Monday.
"So what a tariff is, is it's essentially a tax that makes traded goods more expensive, affecting both exporters and consumers."
The Council’s Rendi Bell shared an example of one Idaho-based electronics company affected by the tariffs.
"They were paying about $10,000 a month in tariffs to import their goods in. And with all of the changes this year that jumped to $200,000 a month."
That was a larger importer, Bell said. Smaller companies facing new tariffs might not be able to come up with that extra cash.
"The money part really, really matters. Access to capital and companies being able to continue their regular business if they can absorb that much of it."
The reciprocal tariffs, which have been paused for close to 90 days, are scheduled to resume July 8. If that happens, Bell said more companies may face the challenge of meeting new costs, or may go out of business.
