Comment by xp84
15 days ago
So strange to take VAT into account when it's not discriminating between local or import. By that logic the US has a 5-10% tariff on everything too since we have sales tax in like 47 states.
15 days ago
So strange to take VAT into account when it's not discriminating between local or import. By that logic the US has a 5-10% tariff on everything too since we have sales tax in like 47 states.
The thinking may be that the asymmetry in taxes itself cause a trade imbalance. What can the country do with the extra tax money they receive compared to the lower tax country? They can spend it to fund infrastructure, goods, and jobs inside their own borders.
Which are paid by the country's citizens
As are tariffs.
2 replies →
Ok. Taking this argument completely in good faith, does it follow that they think no country should be allowed to have any sales tax? Or that it’s an act of economic oppression for any country to have a higher sales tax than our country does? I’m just confused, do they propose every country should abolish all their sales taxes to appease this strange and pretty novel point of view.
I feel like Trump or whoever is running this import tax show has lost the plot on what they’re trying to accomplish.
Well, in the end actually nothing else than the trade differences were considered, anyhow: https://xcancel.com/JamesSurowiecki/status/19075591892341969...
I don't know if anyone's necessarily saying that. I think it's a matter of "if tax differences cause trade imbalances, then increasing tariffs by the other side is basically a fair response, since it is also a tax."