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A simple tariff needs no more bureaucracy than already exists for say the gasoline tax, or a sales tax. That is, it could actually be done with LESS customs personel if we allow the first domestic receivers to pay the tax -- that is give business receiving imports a tax stamp, and only occassional importers and indiviuals go through customs.
309 -bvw-

You'll have to check with willie, but I doubt his protective tariffs could work as just an overall percentage type tax.

Some 'crat would have to decide what US widgets should cost in order to decree the proper tariff on foreign widgets.

Pat, & thousands of willies, would oversee the whole operation of course, from DC.

Some 'crat would have to decide what US widgets should cost in order to decree the proper tariff on foreign widgets.

No doubt they'd try. Just as they try to mung-up any other mode of taxation you can name.
That's nothing different, unique or peculiar to tariffs only.
But as a practical matter, there's no reason Customs can't develop a constantly updated database that reflects current market pricing. Pick the pricing right of the shipping manifests / bills of lading. Yeah, there's an extremely wide variety of items being imported. But when you do it day-in, day-out and day-in, it all becomes rather routine. And while there's always gonna be somebody trying to beat the system with false documentation, anything that's grossly misvalued will stick out like a sore thumb.