Wisconsin businesses are generally supportive of increased tariffs against China but are more mixed in their views on potential tariffs against Canada and Mexico, according to the latest Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce employer survey.
The survey included responses from 153 Wisconsin companies that make up a representative sample of WMC’s membership. The survey asked about a number of federal policy issues, including many pushed or promised by President Donald Trump.
The survey found 86% of respondents support “increased tariffs on imports from countries like China as a response to unfair trade practices like dumping and intellectual property theft.” Within those supporting tariffs, 63% were strongly in favor of increasing tariffs while 23% said they were somewhat supportive.
Asked if they would generally support a 25% tariff on imports from Canada or Mexico, respondents were more mixed than on China tariffs.
The survey found 56% of respondents oppose imposing the tariff, including 27% strongly opposed and 29% somewhat opposed.
Meanwhile, 44% support tariffs on Canada or Mexico with just 8% strongly supporting and 36% somewhat supporting.
Asked if they support “President Trump’s plan to raise tariffs on Canada and Mexico as a negotiating tactic to help slow illegal immigration into the United States,” respondents were more supportive with 73% backing the idea and 27% opposed.
Introducing new tariffs could have an impact for many Wisconsin companies. The survey found 50% of respondents expect increased tariffs would have a negative impact on their business while 26% said it would be a positive impact. Just 24% said tariffs would have no impact.
The survey also asked about immigration and found 89% saying any immigration reform plan “must first start with providing needed resources to secure the southern border.”
At the same time, the survey found 96% of respondents support “significantly increasing the annual quotas for employment-based immigrant visas – like H-1B – to allow more skilled workers to legally enter the United States.”
The survey also found 99% of respondents support “creating new visa options for high-demand workers to increase the number of skilled individuals legally immigrating to the United States.”
On taxes, the survey found broad support, above 90%, amongst respondents for making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, lowering the corporate tax rate to 15%, and restoring the ability for businesses to deduct research and development expenses.
