TIP - Trump's Tax Agenda Could Lead To 133% Tariffs And Inflation Spike Says Paul Krugman: 'Just Ignorant' | Benzinga
After CNBC reported that presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is considering replacing income taxes in the U.S. with additional import tariffs to offset the revenue shortfall, Nobel laureate and economist Paul Krugman shared his views on the matter through a series of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday.
Impractical Approach: If Trump’s proposal were to be implemented, the average tariff required to supplant the income tax would be 133%, said Krugman. The economist also shared the math behind the estimate. Imports make up about 14% of the U.S. GDP, while the federal income tax revenue, not including payroll taxes, makes up 8%, he said. In order to replace the income tax, tariff rates should be 8/14 or around 57%, he added.
Since tariffs tend to raise import prices to consumers, higher tariffs would reduce imports, the economist said, adding this would mean “you need a higher tariff rate.” This would have a cyclical effect of reducing imports further, necessitating a still higher tariff for ...