Bad Tariff Idea In an effort to rationalize the imposition of tariffs by President Trump, some Republicans are trying to create support for them by directing their use toward politically attractive ends, such as aiding poor people. The concept of redirecting punitive duties has already been tried and successfully challenged in the WTO. The Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset Act, commonly referred to as the Byrd Amendment, was successfully challenged by 11 other countries. They were entitled to impose equivalent tariffs against American goods until the scheme was phased out. Worse, creating a political base of support for what are supposedly temporary tariffs to gain negotiating leverage would only mean their perpetuity. Hurdles to New B...

TAGS – Europe, North America