In recent years, tariffs have been at the center of heated Washington debate. Critics claim that tariffs are a “hidden sales tax” passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices. But in the wake of the 2018 “Trump tariffs,” America’s consumers haven’t experienced noticeable price increases.
There’s a nearly $2 trillion fiscal deficit, and of course the record $1.12 trillion goods deficit. And one way to bring that down is to produce revenue via trade – also known as tariffs. To some, that’s a dirty word, Trump told an ABC news affiliate in Las Vegas this weekend.
Reindustrialization might cause some above-target inflation. Deindustrialization, meanwhile, might take countries out of the running of the industries of today, and the future, too, said former European Central Bank president Mario Draghi.
To craft a pro-America trade and economic agenda, Harris should pledge to increase overall tariffs, use tax credits more broadly to grow critical production, and ignore Wall Street’s call to return to the failed trade policies of the past.
Harley-Davidson announced it is moving production of its Pan America, Sportster, and Nightster bike models from the U.S. to Thailand. Harley’s growing Thailand production is directly incentivized by 60% Thai motorcycle tariffs and corporate tax breaks.
The report details how China has strategically positioned itself to dominate the U.S. and global solar markets through a combination of government subsidies, overproduction, and exploitation of U.S. policy loopholes—most notably, the tax credits created by the IRA.
For years, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has served as a de facto mouthpiece for Chinese solar manufacturers, consistently pushing policies that benefit China’s dominance in the solar industry at the expense of American manufacturers.
Tariffs must be part of the toolkit to manage the influx of products from Chinese tech companies, whether from e-commerce platforms like Temu or from a growing number of low-cost microchip manufacturers set to flood the global market with semiconductors.
“The Biden administration’s refusal to enforce the 2019 steel agreement agreed to, and then breached by, Mexico has led directly to this devastating plant closure,” said CPA CEO Michael Stumo.
By leaving out bills that would prevent Chinese companies from accessing Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, restrict U.S. capital from flowing into China, and close the de minimis loophole, the House is missing a critical opportunity for meaningful action.
