(WXMI) — A 25 percent tariff on aluminum and steel took effect on March 12, and one West Michigan funeral home says they are now seeing an increase in casket prices.
MKD Funeral Home has been in West Michigan for over 85 years.
“The ones that we have seen the recent increases have been with the imported caskets. We're recently seeing up to a 30% increase in cost and some of the domestic caskets we haven't seen as much,” said Mike Matthysse, Funeral Director of MKD Funeral Homes.
Matthysse said that imported caskets used to be more affordable before the tariffs.
“At the end of the day we want to honor a loved one and do that in the most cost-sensitive way,” he added.
Sonja Johnson is the executive director of the Van Andel Global Trade Center at Grand Valley State University. She says that steel and aluminum tariffs have been in place since 2018.
“A lot of companies across the country were able to get exclusions if they weren't able to source that steel or aluminum product from a domestic U.S. supplier,” Johnson said.
However, she indicated that as of March 12, those exclusions no longer exist.
“There's a lot of negotiating and working amongst each other. It's not always easy to pass that cost through, but prices are going to be going up especially if some of those materials are used in Michigan or U.S.-made goods are used with those additional tariff items,” Johnson said.
Matthysse emphasized the need for sensitivity to costs in the funeral service industry.
“We want to bring the most meaning and value to the families that we can,” Matthysse said.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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