Tariffs, Revenue, and Structural Change: A Comparative Historical Analysis of the Use of Tariffs to Replace Income Taxation in the USA
This thesis investigates why tariffs, once the backbone of U.S. federal revenue, cannot replace income taxes as the primary revenue source in the modern American economy. Using a systematic literature review and secondary data analysis approach, the study contrasts the structural conditions of the pre-1913 tariff regime, characterized by a goods-dominated economy and minimal federal spending, with
