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Taxes on businesses can be sidestepped the same way tariffs can be sidestepped. Tariffs are taxes.

• elmerfud 2y ago
  They are a form of tax, but where is applied is different, which is why it gets its own term.
  • jquery 2y ago
    Sure, but the fact "tax" isn't part of the term, as opposed to "sales tax" or "property tax" or "income tax" I think its use during the campaign mislead the American people. I don't think most people voted for 20% across the board higher taxes on goods and services.
    • elmerfud 2y ago
      I think you're framing this in an "I don't like this candidate" way rather than the electorate en masse is generally pretty ignorant. Each party always talks in terms that will largely be poorly understood by most. The idea of taxing businesses because they don't pay enough or taxing the "rich" because they don't pay enough is simply another way of passing that tax down to those who are consuming these services. You don't raise Walmart's corporate tax rate without Walmart raising prices and affecting everyone who shops there. At least with the tariff there is options.
• AnthonyMouse 2y ago
  > Tariffs are taxes. But that's the point. They generate revenue for the government, allowing the government to lower other taxes with the result that people aren't actually paying anything more on net but you've created a penalty for goods imported from adversarial countries that domestic manufacturers can avoid.
  • jquery 2y ago
    If they're being used as a major revenue generator, and not simply as a strategic way to negotiate with countries, then tariffs should be determined by Congress. This is a huge power grab by the Presidency. Extreme across-the-board tariffs that Trump is talking about are unprecedented in American politics, outside of wartime perhaps. We are in uncharted territory and it's nothing good imo. If massive tariffs are so great, get a bill through the House and Senate.
    • AnthonyMouse 2y ago
      Negotiating with other countries is traditionally done by the executive branch and tariffs are a significant lever in those negotiations. The President has the authority to do that because Congress passed a law that said so. They could pass a different law, if they want to, but what if they like the tariffs? Then all they have to do is lower other taxes as the tariff revenue allows them to do. Also, just because tariffs generate a lot of revenue doesn't mean that's their purpose. Their purpose is to put pressure on specific countries or promote domestic manufacturing. The revenue is just what allows other taxes to be lowered to balance out the impact on US consumers.