There’s No Way to Replace the Income Tax with Tariffs

Even if it could raise enough revenue (which it can't), it would undercut Trump's other tariff goals.

During the 2024 campaign and since, President Trump has mused about replacing the income tax with tariffs. Trump believes that tariffs will put the burden of financing the U.S. government on the backs of foreigners.

Nice idea. Who wouldn’t want somebody else paying our government’s bills? To support his case, Trump correctly points out that until the modern income tax was adopted by the 16th Amendment in 1913, the United States collected the bulk of its revenue through tariffs and excise taxes.

So why can’t the U.S. do that again? If foreign producers of products imported into the U.S. in fact pay