Import tax opposition could doom GOP overhaul

WASHINGTON — A key part of House Republicans’ plan to overhaul the way corporations pay taxes is on life support, leaving lawmakers scrambling to save one of President Trump’s biggest priorities and increasing the chances the GOP will simply pass a tax cut instead of overhauling the tax code.

A proposed tax on imports is central to the GOP plan to lower the overall corporate tax rate. It would generate about $1 trillion over the next decade to finance the lower rates without adding to the deficit. It would also provide strong incentives for U.S.-based companies to keep their operations in the United States and perhaps persuade companies to move overseas operations to the U.S.

But the tax faces strong opposition from retailers, automakers and the oil industry, and a growing number of congressional Republicans have come out against it. They worry that it will increase the cost of imports, raising consumer prices.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said there probably aren’t enough votes to pass the import tax in the Senate — not a single Republican senator has publicly endorsed it. And a powerful group of House conservatives said it’s time to dump the idea.

“The sooner we acknowledge that and get on with a plan that actually works and actually can build consensus, the better off we will be,” said Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), chairman of the conservative Freedom Caucus.

The goal — for now — is to simplify the tax code and make it more efficient in a way that does not add to the federal government’s mounting debt.