The United Kingdom and the European Union took a big swipe at the United States last week. Both the British government and the European Commission floated the idea of a “digital tax” on Facebook, Twitter, and other tech companies they believe are evading European taxes. But if tax avoidance is the issue — and Europe believes it…
Editor’s note: Rep. Bill Pascrell wants to chair the trade subcommittee of Ways & Means. He has been a strong fair trader, is receptive to CPA ideas, but has not yet fully embraced “strategic trade in the US interest”, which is CPA’s view of trade policy. Rep. Richard Pascrell (D-NJ), the ranking member of the…
One morning in October, a smiling Wilbur Ross, President Trump’s commerce secretary and most visible trade warrior, enters the lobby of an Embassy Suites hotel in Washington. Clad in a blue suit, white shirt, and red tie, which upon closer inspection turns out to be decorated with tiny beavers, Ross greets members of a national…
Editors note: this story is important because it again debunks the disproven claim that automation caused manufacturing job losses rather than trade. Looking back, there were two kinds of people who lived in America in 2016: people who believed Donald Trump, and people who believed data. [Gwynn Guilford | November 8, 2018 | Quartz] Trump…
Editors note: the department of commerce is becoming very aggressive with self initiating trade enforcement cases. Wilbur Ross is doing a good job, unlike his immediate predecessors. The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced affirmative final determinations against imports of Chinese aluminum sheet, advancing antidumping and countervailing duty investigations that were self-initiated by the agency last…
By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director Three Internet security experts have accused state-owned telecom giant China Telecom of diverting internal US Internet traffic through China. The purpose, apparently, was corporate espionage. According to Doug Madory, an expert on Internet traffic at Silicon Valley software maker Oracle, China Telecom’s network sent out false signals that diverted…
By Jeff Ferry, CPA Research Director The USMCA Agreement contains rules of origin for the automotive industry that will have a wide-ranging effect on the auto industry. They should be beneficial for US automakers, their suppliers, and autoworkers. At the headline level, automobiles will only be considered originating in North America and tariff-free if 75%…
Editor’s note: This is a good article describing how manufacturing supply chains and worker skills are critical for national defense. If you want to believe America is still the “arsenal of democracy” that Franklin Roosevelt described in 1940, you might want to avoid looking too closely at the U.S. manufacturing sector. China has become the…
But China goods trade deficit sets yet another new record Washington. The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) praised the latest monthly jobs report, which shows that the US economy continues to grow strongly and create jobs. However, a September trade deficit running 21 percent worse than a year ago means urgent action is required on the…
Editor’s note: The US needs an industrial strategy. Our fear of picking winners is not shared by East Asia or Germany. Many U.S. firms have long had a simple mantra: “Invent here, manufacture there.” But, increasingly, those same companies are now choosing to invent as well as manufacture abroad. From automotive to semiconductors to pharma to clean energy, America’s innovation centers have…