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In a case where Chief Justice John Roberts stares down a president’s signature agenda item, the decisions can hinge on what Roberts sees as a tax.
That’s what happened with the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, when Roberts shocked conservatives and Republicans by upholding the law and its since-repealed requirement that people must pay a fine, or a tax, if they did not buy health insurance.
Now Roberts is faced with Trump’s tariffs, which are obviously a tax, but which the president says are a tool.
Unwinding the tariffs, Trump warned in a wee-hours social media post Tuesday, could cost the government trillions of dollars. It was both an indication of the pressure justices are under with this case and a reminder that Trump unilaterally raised taxes by imposing tariffs.
He has also suggested a possible $2,000 rebate for US taxpayers.
When the Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week in a challenge to Trump’s sweeping use of emergency powers to impose taxes on nearly all imports, Roberts’ view of taxes came up.
I talked to CNN’s Chief Supreme Court Analyst Joan Biskupic about the arguments and how the justices will approach a case that touches nearly the entire US economy and
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