Trump Wrong on Mexico’s VAT

Trump Wrong on Mexico’s VAT

President Donald Trump wrongly said that “nobody from this country knew” about Mexico’s value-added tax until after NAFTA was signed. A deputy U.S. trade representative at the time NAFTA was put in place said: “US policymakers, embassy officials and tax authorities were fully aware of Mexico’s VAT system.”The president also claimed that the VAT tax put the U.S. “16 points behind, before we even started.” The former trade representative, as well as several economists and tax experts, told us the VAT is not . . .