Today my repug neighbor said the dumbest thing ever about tariffs & coronavirus.

[WA-03 Democrat]

15. I am an importer from China

We get billed by DHL/UPS/FedEx 25% of the commercial invoice value because our components are housed in aluminum or zinc. The housing represents 15% of the total product cost but due to custom tariffs it becomes 100% because it’s not prorated upon value to the entire system. This bill is made by US Customs to my business and collected by the shipper. If we don’t pay it then we cannot import. US business pay for tariffs. In a simple world I could pass along 100% to the customer, but product pricing is complex. I pass 10% which is the max I believe the market supports. It kills my bottom line and many large and small business are in the same boat. It weakens US businesses, increases costs to consumers and does nothing to support restoring manufacturing in the US. It’s a racket or graft.

What does the customs department do with this money?