Remember that 35% tariff President Obama imposed on tires
imported from China this month? American drivers will sure find
it hard to forget, as the higher costs start trickling down to
U.S. consumers.  Since the tariff announcement on September 11,
U.S. tire wholesalers have been warning that their sales prices
to retailers will increase by about 15% on average. In some
cases, the hikes are as high as 28%, according to industry
sources. The only reason prices haven't risen by the full 35%
tariff rate yet is that wholesalers still have some pre-tariff
inventory stocks in their warehouses.  Eventually, this Obama
tire tax will squeeze consumers hard because wholesalers and
retailers have margins too thin to absorb much of the impact
themselves. It may take a few months, Bill Trimarco of Hercules
Tire in Ohio told us, but the price hikes are coming.  Low-
income Americans will bear the brunt of the pain because Chinese
tiremakers sell the cheapest tires, retailing for about $50 a
piece at the lowest. An extra $15