Tariffs Aren’t Going Away: A Short Perspective

Tariffs are no longer a temporary disruption or a policy anomaly, they are a structural part of global trade that importers must actively manage. Companies that continue to treat tariffs as an external problem or a line-item cost often find themselves reacting too late, absorbing avoidable expense, or creating compliance risk.

What’s changed is not just tariff rates, but expectations. Regulators increasingly expect importers to demonstrate diligence around classification, valuation, and country-of-origin determinations. At the same time, finance and sourcing teams are under pressure to control landed cost without slowing product flow or compromising compliance.

The organizations navigating this environment most effectively are shifting from reactive fixes to proactive trade strategy. That includes validating tariff assumptions early in product design, revisiting valuation and origin models, and using duty-optimization tools such as First Sale for Export, preferential trade programs, and tariff engineering correctly, and defensibly.

In 2026 and beyond, the competitive advantage will belong to companies that integrate trade compliance into commercial decision-making rather than treating it as a back-office function. Tariffs may be unavoidable, but unnecessary cost and risk are not.