logoalt Hacker News

jyounkeryesterday at 7:26 AM2 repliesview on HN

The answer is actually really easy, and it's been implemented successfully before: selective import taxes.

You set import taxes so that they offset price advantages. If a country has shitty environmental laws, crappy labor protections, etc. then you prices that into their import taxes. That way they don't gain any advantages in a race to the bottom based on things that you care about in your own country.

If a country adopts better environment laws, labor projections, etc. then you lower the import tariffs you charge on that country's relevant goods


Replies

lokaryesterday at 2:34 PM

Or we could just let it go offshore? Do we have to do everything here?

show 1 reply
mschuster91yesterday at 8:20 AM

But... but taxes and tariffs bad!!!

Snark aside, the widespread lack of understanding of basic economic concepts is actually a real problem. On one side, you got an utter buffoon like Trump acting like taxes and tariffs are his personal revenge sledgehammer to wield however he wants, and on the other side you got (an awful lot of) short-term rewarders who will accept just about any predictable long-term consequence for short-term "lower prices for consumers".