The surprising part is that it hasn't resulted in more inflation. We just got new figures; inflation was 2.4% last month. For all of 2025, inflation was 2.7%.
Those aren't great numbers, of course, but they're not a crisis. It's actually slightly less than the 2.9% for 2024. (Admittedly, a number that was treated as a crisis at the time.)
TFA says a total of $285 billion was collected -- almost $1,000 per person. That's not a number that just gets lost in the wash. So why isn't it showing up in other numbers?
Of course they did.
The surprising part is that it hasn't resulted in more inflation. We just got new figures; inflation was 2.4% last month. For all of 2025, inflation was 2.7%.
Those aren't great numbers, of course, but they're not a crisis. It's actually slightly less than the 2.9% for 2024. (Admittedly, a number that was treated as a crisis at the time.)
TFA says a total of $285 billion was collected -- almost $1,000 per person. That's not a number that just gets lost in the wash. So why isn't it showing up in other numbers?
So why isn't it showing up in other numbers?
Possibly because the numbers are being cooked by a political appointee.
It's entirely possible. I haven't heard concrete accusations of them messing with these numbers, but they're clearly doing it with other numbers.
Stealth federal sales tax.
Which isn't a huge surprise given that's exactly what tariffs are designed to do...
No surprise either that this does not necessarily translate into an advantage for US business and consumers.
A tax in but the name.