Washington Times: Nervous fireworks sellers hope Trump's trade war with China is a dud


From the Washington Times:
Mr. Houser of the National Fireworks Association said he heard the news about the postponement of tariffs after a meeting between Mr. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping while he was sitting in his office at 1 a.m. last week.  

“I’m very happy to see that at this point it has been delayed because at the end of the whole discussion, I have nowhere else to go as a fireworks importer,” he said. 

Mr. Houser said he talked with many fireworks retailers and vendors across the country leading up to July 1. He said they asked him whether they should raise the prices of their fireworks because of the trade tensions and potential tariffs. Mr. Houser said his prices did not rise this year because of the potential tariffs, but he told retailers that might not be the case next year. 

“If the tariff actually happens, then you can rest assured that come next time around, and even this fall, there will be a price change to reflect the tariff and its effects,” Mr. Houser said.  

The National Fireworks Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advocating for the safety of consumer fireworks. More than 1,200 small businesses make up the member companies that operate in the U.S.  

“I can’t sit and wait and figure out what’s going to happen. I have to order my stuff more than a year in advance with the hope of getting it,” Mr. Houser said. “So, things like tariffs and this discussion for my industry are very significant because I have nowhere else to go.”

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