PhotoPHILADELPHIA — The White House on Thursday appeared to endorse a 20 percent tax on all imports to the United States, only to insist a few hours later that it was not endorsing the plan. Congressional Republicans have proposed the import tax as part of a broader overhaul of corporate taxation, and Sean Spicer, the White House press secretary, told reporters that revenue from the tax would cover the cost of a wall on the United States-Mexico border. But later on Thursday, Mr. Spicer convened reporters again to say that the tax was just one option under consideration to pay for the wall. The House proposal, which Mr. Trump had previously criticized as too complicated, would not actually increase federal revenue. The gains from taxing imports would be offset because the government would stop taxing exports and would lower the corporate tax rate.

Source: New York Times January 26, 2017 20:44 UTC