By Marlon Hyde
May 30, 2025
Georgia small businesses continue to struggle with tariffs.
A federal appeals court ruled Thursday to keep import taxes in place after a ruling that blocked President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which were paused by the Court of International Trade for less than a day.
“They’re on, they’re off, they’re on again. Few forward-looking businesses can be truly successful in such an environment,” said Tom Smith, an economist at Emory University.
Small businesses throughout the state have continued to face increased prices, difficulty sourcing goods and economic uncertainty over the past few months.
Smith notes that as these tariffs remain, the reciprocal tariffs placed on U.S. products will likely remain as well.
“Our pecan farmers are dependent on China for importing their pecans. And it’s important that they can have a free market in order to do that,” he said.
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce has been publishing reports to help members navigate tariffs. According to the business advocacy group, Georgia set new records for international trade activity last year, with over $53 billion in exported goods and imports exceeding $145 billion.
“Georgia’s economy is heavily dependent on the supply chain and imports and port activity, so it will be feeling some of these effects,” said Sina Golara, who teaches Supply Chain Management at Georgia State University.
Georgia Port officials say in April, Savannah experienced increased activity as businesses rushed to stock up ahead of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
Meanwhile, Brunswick saw a 22% year-over-year drop in roll-on-roll-off cargo, including cars, last month.
Golara says that as global trade volatility increases, the ports are seeing excess costs, inventory and pressure, which is bad news for the state.
He notes that some business activity should have resumed following a pause on certain tariffs, but it is too soon to see that reflected in the data. Golara expects to see an uptick in orders at the ports within a month or two.
“It’s actually a detriment, right?” the professor adds. “Imagine that one week, you have one day with 16 hours of work to do, and the next, you have nothing to do. Both are bad, and they are significantly worse than having two eight-hour shifts,” said Golara.
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