Uncertainty In Trade And Taxes Highlighted At Chamber Meeting

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- U.S. Tariffs continue to be a hot topic all around the country. On Wednesday, the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce held its Government Affairs Meeting with special guest Michael Olson, the Midwest Regional Manager at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who provided an update on national policies. Olson spoke about tariffs, federal legislation, taxes, national policy priorities, and more. Olson says the tariffs are making things uncertain for everyone:

"There's still a lot of uncertainty around trade and tariffs, and just kind of general uncertainty around the economy, obviously, the government shutdown that we're currently in right now is affecting a lot of that, and so when you think about the opportunities and the challenges for businesses and chambers ahead, those are kind of the mix that we're looking at."

Get our free mobile app

Olson says chambers and businesses are looking really great on the tax front, but are dealing with all that uncertainty on the tariff side of things. He says businesses in general are excited about the extension of the tax bill earlier this year and the stability that it provides.

"There's a huge effort kind of earlier in this year with the tax bill that got extended, so I think there's a lot of excitement from businesses to have more certainty around their planning, particularly for next year, with a lot of the tax provisions being made permanent, there's more predictability in that regard."

Olson says the help from the tax bill and the uncertainty of the tariffs is the mix businesses and chambers are looking to have to deal with for now. The Chamber's Government Affairs meeting ran from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning at the chamber's office in downtown St. Cloud.

READ MORE FROM AUTHOR PAUL HABSTRITT:

• New Wildfire Detection Tech Aims To Protect Minnesota’s Forests
• Como Park Zoo Welcomes a New Resident
• Musical Makes Kids Part Of The Enormous Adventure
• Big Winners And Good Times At LedgeTober Flannel Fest [PHOTOS]
• Brothers Launch Fishing Initiative To Help Kids In Need
• Target’s New Self-checkout System Is A Game Changer For Accessibility