• Dempf@lemmy.zip
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    18 days ago

    I am actually in favor of tariffs in a couple of limited situations:

    1. Foreign goods are cheap due to non-existent labor laws

    2. Foreign goods are cheap, but produce more emissions than domestic manufacturing

    #2 is also called a carbon border adjustment mechanism, or CBAM, and the EU voted to implement one last year that goes into effect in 2026. The USA desperately needs one IMHO. I’m involved in a nonprofit that’s been lobbying Congress to implement our own CBAM.

    It’s silly though to think that a tariff is anything but a tax. It’s not any different than any other way that we use our tax laws to try to regulate “pure” capitalism by encouraging certain behavior and discouraging other behavior.