[Willie Green]

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.

[tpaine]

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


a "practical matter"?

-- "a constantly updated database that reflects current market pricing".
--- "do it day-in, day-out and day-in, it all becomes rather routine".


Sure thing willie, it would all be another routine bureaucracy, -- to thousands..