According to sources close to Polygon, the Entertainment Software Association is currently drafting up preliminary plans to handle the trade tariffs proposed by President Donald Trump.
Throughout his electoral campaign, Trump and his team hinted at the possibility of imposing import taxes on goods and services shipped in to the United States — video game consoles and software included. Fundamentally, a trade tariff is a form of tax designed to make overseas goods more expensive when compared to domestic products, and the Trump administration have floated the idea of hiking prices from anywhere between five and 10 percent.
This is all hypothetical for the moment, though Polygon warns Trump holds the power to establish trade tariffs relatively quickly. Exactly how much of an impact this will have on the video game industry remains to be seen — all three major consoles are manufactured in China — but analysts warn that this form of tax will lead to a ripple effect, where other countries impose a reactionary tariff against US products overseas.
“We are looking into the issue and can provide more information shortly,” an ESA spokesperson told the site.
[Source: Polygon]
