Trump: House GOP tax provision will be discussed

President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that the border-adjustment provision in the House Republicans’ tax plan would be discussed, after earlier criticizing the proposal.

“It’s certainly something that’s going to be discussed,” Trump said in an interview with Axios published Wednesday. “I would say, over the next month-and-a-half, two months, we’ll be having more concrete discussions. Right now, we’re really focused on healthcare more than anything else.”

Trump previously raised concerns about the border-adjustment proposal, which would tax imports and exempt exports, in a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal. He called the proposal “too complicated” and said it was unnecessary along with tax cuts.

{mosads}“Anytime I hear border adjustment, I don’t love it,” he said. “Because usually it means we’re going to get adjusted into a bad deal. That’s what happens.”

But Trump told Axios that border adjustments are “still on the plate” and that the Journal article “didn’t totally reflect [his views] accurately.”

The proposal is a key feature of the House Republicans’ tax-reform blueprint, which the Ways and Means Committee is working to turn into legislation.

Proponents of the border-adjustment proposal say it would remove incentives for companies to move their jobs and headquarters overseas. The provision would also raise revenue that could be used to pay for other tax cuts.

But retail groups and some other businesses oppose the provision, saying it would increase prices for consumers.