OPINION:
As a delegate, member of the Asian Pacific American Advisory Committee to Trump for President, and ardent supporter of President Trump, I’m enthused by his bold vision for a simplified, yet pro-growth tax-reform plan. But he must not allow his proposal to become poisoned in Congress by a Border Adjustment Tax (BAT).
Rather than leveling the playing field and keeping American jobs here at home, the BAT will really become a sales tax on consumers. Estimates show that the average family will pay an additional $1,700 per year for their most basic needs, including groceries, gas, medicine and more. It will also hit a lot of retailers and small businesses that rely on the global marketplace to keep their doors open and hire U.S. workers. The BAT actually points to a failure by past trade negotiators, and it should be dealt with as a trade issue, not a tax issue.
Worst of all, it is another massive Washington cash grab from Americans. For years, conservatives have held their ground against the temptations of implementing a European-style Value Added Tax (VAT) to our code to prevent more unnecessary revenue going to the federal government. A BAT would do just that. We are counting on Mr. Trump to make the right decisions to protect jobs and the middle class, and reject the BAT.
MONICA LEE MORRILL
Stoystown, Pa.
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