Source: Reason
by Eric Boehm
“In order for a tariff to work as a revenue-generating policy, it must actually exist — because a threatened tariff generates no revenue. For the same reason, a tariff that exists only to persuade another country to take some specified action is useless for revenue, because it would be removed once the other country complies. Tariffs cannot be both the primary means of funding the federal government’s budget and a tool of foreign policy. In fact, they’re not particularly effective at either of those jobs. Unfortunately, Trump seemingly lacks any awareness about the economic costs of his tariff obsession, and he does not have a strong sense of intellectual consistency.” (04/03/25)
https://reason.com/2025/04/03/the-trade-war-were-losing-to-ourselves/