Intel, HP, Microsoft and Dell are joining forces to oppose President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods, which includes laptop computers and tablets. Bloomberg first reported the news. The comment can be read in its entirety here.
The four companies have submitted joint comments in opposition to the escalation of tariffs on Chinese imports, suggesting that the practice would be bad for the industry and for people buying the goods. According to Bloomberg, the companies have said the tariffs are likely to hit during the back-to-school and holiday shopping periods, when lots of people shop for new computers.
Additionally, the companies wrote that "our most price-sensitive customers will be among the most significantly impacted." The best case scenario, the companies say, is that consumers will use old models, though they may not have the best security features. But it could also, they suggest, "force some consumers to go with laptop altogether."
These comments come during a series of public hearings on tariffs that started on June 17 and will run through June 25.
The Consumer Technology Association, an industry trade organization and lobbying group suggested in a study on Monday that prices of laptops and tablets could increase by as much as 19% the tariffs are put in place.
In the comment, the four companies claimed to have spent $35 billion together on research and development in 2017, and the costs from tariffs could damage innovation and hurt jobs held by American workers by moving money elsewhere and would help manufacturers that aren't dependent on sales in the United States.
