Oh Boy! It's Liberation Day. Just One Little Tiny Annoying Question While You're Celebrating.

How come we don't get to pocket the tariff/tax money?

Oh boy oh boy! It’s Liberation Day!

Excuse me for interrupting your joyous celebration with this tiny little annoying question.

How come the extra money that goes into the U.S. treasury—the money from the tariff taxes on businesses importing stuff into the United States—isn’t being handed over to the American taxpayers?

I mean, there’s no reason why this money should not be handed over to the taxpayers.¹ The purpose of the tariff/tax is to make foreign stuff more expensive for two stated reasons: 1) to punish the foreign nation that is supposedly letting fentanyl (or the chemicals required to produce fentanyl) to enter the United States from their nation; and/or 2) to make the foreign stuff more expensive for Americans to purchase, thereby helping American businesses to compete against the foreign ones and, you know, MAGA.

OK. Neither of these stated purposes of the tariffs are a reason for not handing the tariff/tax money to the American taxpayers. The goals of the tariff would be achieved just as well if the money were handed to us as if it went into the U.S. treasury.

MAGA is supposedly about making things better for the American taxpayers, right? So how come Mr. MAGA-In-Chief isn’t handing the tariff tax money to the taxpayers?

OK, you can return to your joyous celebration of Liberation Day now. Sorry for interrupting the festivities.

1. Exactly how to hand over the money to the taxpayers could be worked out easily. A tax reduction is one way. Direct checks sent to people is another (like they did during the pandemic.)