Which is a valid counterargument to the infant industry argument for protective tariffs?

A) Protective tariffs result in too many benefits for domestic firms that export goods and services.
B) It is difficult to determine which infant industries will become mature industries with a comparative advantage.
C) The objective would be better achieved through strategic trade policy.
D) The objective would be better achieved by import quotas and nontariff barriers.

B) The infant industry argument suggests that new industries may initially struggle to compete against established foreign competitors and thus require protection (e.g., through tariffs) until they become competitive. A valid counterargument is that it's challenging to predict which new industries will indeed grow to be competitive and benefit from such protection. This uncertainty can lead to misallocation of resources or protection of industries that would never become globally competitive, regardless of the temporary protection they receive.