The U.S. goods and services deficit took a surprising 19.3% leap to $84.4 billion in September, with exports falling by 1.2% and imports rising by 3%, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Tuesday.
De minimis, a customs rule that allows for duty free shipment and minimal inspection if the overseas vendor claims the value is under $800, is a haven for contraband, whether it’s fake Nikes, childrens’ toys made of lead, or banned food products, Customs and Border Protect (CBP) admitted yet again.
Keynes believed that free trade could exacerbate domestic unemployment and economic imbalances and argues for the use of tariffs and trade protections to safeguard national industries, preserve employment, and promote the balance of trade.
When George Washington was President, consensus existed that tariffs should be used for both (1) federal revenue purposes, and also (2) to protect domestic production. This consensus was embodied in the first sentence of the first U.S. Tariff Act, passed on July 4, 1789.
Trump spoke for nearly two hours in his usual off the cuff speaking engagement at the Detroit Economic Club in Michigan recently. The automotive industry was a priority topic, with the presidential candidate saying Washington has to incentivize American auto makers.
Tariffs are a progressive policy that reverse the negative economic effects of free trade, creating good-paying jobs, boosting working-class income, and reducing income inequality.
A new solar company called Ebon Solar has secured a $10 million grant from the state of New Mexico, along with $1 million in financing and another $1 billion in a state-backed bond, to build an 834,000-square-foot solar cell manufacturing facility near Albuquerque.
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the proper use of tariffs as a trade tool is good for the middle class, especially those that work in the industrial sectors of the economy. No tariffs, on the other hand, may lower costs of goods sold.
Proposals for new tariffs face a lot of criticism these days, from the media, from economists, and from foreign policy types. Part of the reason is that it’s Donald Trump making the proposals and many in those groups don’t like Trump. But the fact is that tariffs can work to build our economy. They have worked before and they have worked recently as well.
The U.S. Department of Commerce yesterday made a significant preliminary determination in its investigation into solar imports from Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Thailand, confirming illegal trade practices through foreign subsidies.
