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Comment by dominicrose | Hacker News Reader

I'm not American but tariffs might be a way to "make America great again" because it makes it harder to trade with other countries. This means that it makes it relatively easier than before, to trade within the USA. Another effect is that it serves as a tax. Easy for me to say but I think Americans aren't taxed enough.

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Globalism evokes scary thoughts for a lot of people, but globalism is what made America great. Nobody wins when protectionists come to power.

What I find so astonishing about this recent US "debate" is that I was taught in my German high school during the 1980s in a discipline called "Erdkunde" that the US is transitioning from a manufacturing to a service-oriented economy that would be vastly superior to the classical manufacturing-based approach and that Germany would need to make this transition, too, if we wanted to remain globally competitive.

I don't want to glorify German high schools but I find it hard to believe that those school books were so wrong that 40 years later it would make sense to return to a manufacturing-oriented economy.

> I think Americans aren't taxed enough.

If tariffs are a tax on the consumer, then you probably think the tariffs are in fact good ("American's aren't taxed enough").

But I'm more curious about what makes you think Americans aren't taxed enough. Why do you say that and do you have something specific in mind?

I don't "like" taxes I just think that people are more generous when they are obliged to be. It won't make them generous on top of the taxes but at least they'll pay the damn taxes. I live in France where the taxes are much higher than in the US. It's annoying but there are clearly some advantages and we are adapted to a more humble lifestyle, which is fine.

Top marginal federal income tax rate in the US over time:

2018+: 37%

1993 - 2000: 39.6%

1981 - 1986: between 50% and 28%

1964 - 1980: 70%

1944 - 1963: 91%

1930s: 63 - 79%

1913 (income tax created): 7%

In most, though not all states, there's also State Income Tax. NYC also has a city tax on income.

What makes it hard to trade within the US now?

The average US worker costs more if not much more than the average foreign worker.

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