Washington’s Unwise Trade War Against China

It boggles my mind sometimes. The ABQ Journal’s Winthrop Quigley asserted in this recent article that “the Obama administration has yet to increase taxes on anyone despite the president’s objections to the Bush tax cuts.” The article in general is blog-worthy because Quigley seems to be saying that “taxes don’t matter” as they relate to economic growth, but I will focus here on the tax issue. Did Quigley completely forget about Obama’s massive tobacco tax hikes? Most of the impact of these tax hikes, by the way, impact low income taxpayers.

But this isn’t a tax policy post, I’m talking trade war here. Of course, tariffs are simply a tax placed on imported goods. So Quigley is wrong again. The Obama Administration earlier this year levied a 35% tax on Chinese tires.

Now, the newspaper is reporting a third likely tax hike, this one on pipes used in the oil and gas industry and imported from China. Oil and gas being an industry of particular importance to New Mexico, I’m sure that our own New Mexico congressional delegation will stand up to the Democratic Party’s staunch allies, the United Steelworkers and support this vital home grown industry (yeah right!) against this tax hike.

Anyway, perhaps someone who hasn’t published a letter to the editor in the Business Journal in the past week can alert Quigley to these tax hikes? Hopefully fiscal conservatives will unite in opposing this dangerous trade war as well.

Happy New Year!