The Pros And Cons Of Free Trade

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In a recent debate Bernie Sanders referred to free trade as stupid. Donald Trump echoed a similar sentiment when he said: “It’s not free trade, it’s stupid trade.” Free trade is an arrangement between countries in which restrictions on imports and exports; like tariffs and quotas; are lifted. This means that participating nations have better access to overseas markets. The U.S. has been making these deals since the Franklin Roosevelt administration. Right now, America has implemented 14 agreements with 20 countries. The most commonly known is the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. President Clinton signed the deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada in 1993 (Oligopoly Watch, 2008). Last year, the proposed Trans-Pacific …show more content…

In another possible scenario, a business that is involved with exporting may be harmed if it sees the imposition of a tariff on products similar to those it exports, and retaliatory tariffs are imposed by other nations on the products it exports. As these examples show, the impact of tariffs on one business may be very different than those experienced by another business and the impacts differ based on characteristic other than the size of the …show more content…

Such clauses to a purchase agreement usually state something like: "Prices quoted do not include (and Customer agrees to pay) taxes, tariffs, duties, or fees of any kind which may be levied or imposed on either party by federal, state, municipal, or other governmental authorities in connection with the sale or delivery of the product." The key is to protect the business from liability for potential unpredictable and potentially arbitrary government actions. In a recent article from The Economist, Britain has decided to levy a tax on sugary drinks. The article titled “Pricier Pop”; states the government wants its citizens to reduce sugar consumption in the hopes of a healthier nation. The approximate tax is about 6 cents per can of regular coke and less (4 cents) for a less sugary substitute, such as Coca-Cola Life (The Economist,

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