One of the hallmark pledges of the Donald Trump presidential campaign was building a border wall between Mexico and the United States to stem the influx of illegal immigrants into the country. Many decried the pledge for various reasons, with most saying there was no mechanism to pull it off, especially because of the new president's desire to have Mexico pay for the wall. He has his plan, now: putting a 20% tax on Mexican imported goods.
The tax
Plans for the Mexican import tax were announced by White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday.
It would be part of a larger plan to reform the tax code in the United States, a promise every president seems to make; Donald Trump is proving to be no exception.
Trump still has a ways to go before seeing his dream come to fruition, though. The Mexican import tax would have to pass in the halls of Congress, which Spicer claims should happen due to joint brainstorming on the proposal. Additionally, it would face some opposition from business leaders who have set up headquarters and factories across the border.
Analysis of the proposal
The Mexican import tax may prove to be a mixed bag for Trump. While it would lead to him fulfilling a campaign promise about the wall, opinions around the country suggest a wall is just a bigoted and un-American construction.
Additionally, the tax would help American workers by discouraging companies from outsourcing to Mexico, but it would harm American consumers who would have to pay a historic tax to get goods from a country Americans should have a friendly relationship with.
Speaking of which, the Mexican government is already extremely frustrated with President Trump.
President Enrique Peña Nieto cancelled a scheduled meeting with his partner from the north and has adamantly refused to pay for the wall. Oddly enough, this new tax would actually ensure his victory in that battle; a tax on imported goods would actually force the American people to pay for the border wall, not the Mexican people.
