World Business Report Tariff relief for US consumers
Nov 12, 2025
Susan Schmidt, a portfolio manager with insights on U.S. household finances, discusses the growing stress from rising consumer debts. Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz dives into the factors fueling global inequality, advocating for fairer taxation. Stephen MacDonald highlights the economic struggles of Chinese youth, emphasizing their reduced spending habits. Brendan Doherty shares how tariff impacts on coffee prices affect his café business. Meanwhile, Mahavi Arora reveals India’s food price dynamics and the positive effects of recent tax cuts on disinflation.
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Tariffs Raised Everyday Grocery Costs
- Tariffs on items like coffee and bananas have materially raised US consumer prices since April.
- Removing those levies would likely bring prices down quickly, says Scott Bessent.
Tariff Rates Vary By Origin
- Import tariffs vary widely by source country and can have large program-level effects.
- Removing high tariffs (eg Brazil, South Africa) would meaningfully reduce costs for some fruit import programs.
Roaster Shares Real Price Shock
- Brendan Doherty describes paying $3.30/lb for green coffee earlier in 2024 and seeing costs spike to $8/lb.
- He says tariffs and Brazilian crop shortfalls forced him to change sourcing and absorb some costs.