President-elect Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he plans to create an “External Revenue Service” to collect revenue from tariffs and duties from other countries, even though it was quickly pointed out that the United States government already has an agency tasked with such a job.
Over the past couple of months since winning the 2024 presidential election, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on other countries — including Canada, Mexico, and China — if they do not meet his demands on issues such as illegal immigration, stemming the flow of drugs into the U.S., and sticking with the U.S. dollar for trade.
“For far too long, we have relied on taxing our Great People using the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Through soft and pathetically weak Trade agreements, the American Economy has delivered growth and prosperity to the World, while taxing ourselves,” Trump said in a post to his Truth Social platform.
“It is time for that to change,” Trump added. “I am today announcing that I will create the EXTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE to collect our Tariffs, Duties, and all Revenue that come from Foreign sources. We will begin charging those that make money off of us with Trade, and they will start paying, FINALLY, their fair share. January 20, 2025, will be the birth date of the External Revenue Service. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
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The announcement prompted a wave of reactions on social media, including journalists who explained that the United States government already has a federal agency that collects tariffs on foreign goods.
“Lol this already exists!” The Washington Examiner’s Tiana Lowe Doescher said in a post to X. “It’s called US Customs & Border Protection, and it’s the second single largest revenue raiser for the federal government — we don’t need to expand the federal govt any further!”
Washington Post economic columnist Heather Long noted: “Trump wants to create an ‘External Revenue Service’ to collect tariffs, etc. This is clever marketing, but it doesn’t change the fact that American consumers will end up paying these higher tariffs.” She added: “(Note: US Customs and Border Protection currently collects tariffs and duties as goods enter the USA).”
