Fourth (maybe Third) Largest Tax Increase Ever – China 2025 Tariffs

No tariffs yet on Canada, Mexico (and EU for that matter). Still, 10% on $427 bn imports (on top of previous tariffs) is a big deal.

Notes: Tax increase associated with announced Trump tariffs on China assuming a unitary price elasticity of import demand (tan bar), and assuming zero (tan bar plus orange bar). ACA revenue estimate as of 2012. With numerous legislative changes, CBO estimate for 2016 is $24 bn (dark red bar). Source: graphic from Factcheck (2012), modified by author, CBO (Table 1).

In 2023, the US imported $427 bn worth of goods (goods imports are most of what we import from China). Assuming unit elasticity on a 10% tariff, we’d import $384 bn. The respective tariff revenue is $42.7 bn or $38.4 bn — this is the amount of tax revenue irrespective of what happens to the exchange rate or the gate price in China (if you don’t understand this point, it’s the difference between tax incidence and formal revenues).

Whether the China tariffs of 2025 constitute the third or fourth largest tax increase depends on how the ACA revenue estimates played out, after various legislative changes.

Combined two year 2018-2019 Section 232 and Section 301 tariffs amounted to $80 billion [Tax Foundation], so the taxes on imported goods coming from China still amount to the biggest one year tariff revenue increase.

How well does my estimate of $38 bn fit with other estimates. The Tax Foundation just released estimates of $20 bn revenue raised for the remaining 7 months of FY 2025, or $34 bn/year, so pretty close.

Trump has stated that the EU is now in the crosshairs [NYT].

Tariffs “will definitely happen with the European Union,” Mr. Trump told the BBC Sunday evening, and they are coming “pretty soon.”

Here is 2023 import value from the EU:

Source: ITA.

Not only is the amount larger than for either Canada or Mexico (for just goods), it’s of a different character, much more characterized by intra-industry trade. You can guess the demand elasticity is probably lower.

3 thoughts on “Fourth (maybe Third) Largest Tax Increase Ever – China 2025 Tariffs

  1. Macroduck

    The crotch-grabber-in-chief cannot reasonably claim the EU has agreed to strengthen the EU/U.S. border. The EU has now seen the baby-jailer-in-chief back down in three out of four tariff threats (Colombia, Mexico and Canada, but not China). So where does that leave things? Anybody other than Bruciething the EU is going to bow down to the mighty fraudster? Will Brucie claim that his cult leader has won another magnificent victory when, I dunno, maybe the EU agrees to tariffs on Chinese EVs (which they already have)? Probably.

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  2. Macroduck

    Off topic – JOLTS hires data for December:

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1DpPQ

    The level of hires (the solid line in the picture) is about the same as just prior to Covid. The rate of hires (dotted line) is down where it was in the early days of recovery from the housing collapse.

    The saving grace is that layoffs remain muted. Looks like turnover is down. That’s not healthy, but it could be worse.

    Notably, with labor market dynamism reduced, job switchers’ wages are rising at about the same pace as those who stay with their job. That’s unusual.

    Reply

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