• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs

2

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

3

Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998

1

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs

2

Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living

3

Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
CommentaryEconomy

On the economy, Harris and Trump are making the same mistake

By
Erica York
Erica York
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Erica York
Erica York
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 2, 2024, 5:55 AM ET
Erica York is Senior Economist at the Tax Foundation.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris shakes hands with former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Sep. 10.
U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris shakes hands with former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during the presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Sep. 10.Saul Loeb—AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Vice President Kamala Harris has touted a new economic plan to drive “broad-based economic growth,” but her policies contradict this message. Her narrowly targeted America Forward tax credit for “industries of the future” and tax hikes for the rest would reshape investment yet fail to stimulate more investment overall—much like former President Donald Trump’s protectionist proposals for a universal tariff and higher tariffs on China that would reallocate, but not grow, economic activity.

Tax policies, whether rates, deductions for initial investment costs, or credits for investment and production, can change the cost of capital. A higher cost of capital leads to less capital investment, while a lower cost of capital leads to more capital investment.

Unlike industry-specific policies, which (mostly) reallocate investment from one sector to another, broad policies that lower the cost of capital across the entire economy can lead to more overall investment across the board.

Unfortunately, Harris has not outlined a broad pro-investment vision. The suite of policies she’s crafted include higher taxes on business income across the board, with top rates of 28% on corporate firms and 39.6% on non-corporates, and narrowly targeted tax breaks for certain industries or technologies. It’s not hard to see that the resulting policy environment would be generally less favorable to investment—unless one is lucky enough to be on the receiving end of the new subsidies.

In fact, we’ve estimated at the Tax Foundation that the net effect of Harris’s previously announced tax policies would be to shrink the size of the economy by 1.7% and the capital stock by 2.6% within a decade (2% and 3%, respectively, in our 35-year projection). Investment tax credits may lower the cost of capital in some sectors—but they won’t offset the broad negative impact of higher taxes on the overall economy. Altogether, we estimate Harris’s tax and spending policies could increase the 10-year budget deficit by about $1.5 trillion.

Worse, targeted subsidies themselves may prove to be counterproductive, as they risk creating boondoggles and misallocations by favoring certain sectors over others. A review of 50 years of targeted policies in the United States conducted by the Peterson Institute concluded that “the track record of such efforts has achieved mixed success at best.” Import protection and single-firm subsidies have seldom paid off in the past, and there’s little reason to believe that will change under the next U.S. president.

Indeed, while the industrial policies pursued by the Biden administration—namely tax credits for green energy and semiconductors—have seemingly led to a boom in construction spending in the subsidized industries, aggregate investment spending is little changed compared to pre-policy baselines. Whether the higher construction spending in subsidized industries yields higher overall growth for worker productivity or the U.S. economy remains to be seen, but there are plenty of reasons for skepticism.

Just as Harris’s combination of higher taxes for all and selective subsidies for a few doesn’t add up to broad-based economic growth, Trump’s proposed tariffs would reallocate investment across sectors by changing relative prices and ultimately hurt growth.

While Trump has championed some pro-growth tax reforms—like full expensing for investments in machinery, equipment, and R&D—his protectionist tariffs and the resulting retaliation from trade partners would undermine those gains. And in terms of domestic tax reform, he has been more focused on targeted tax breaks for specific types of income, such as tips, overtime pay, or Social Security benefits. We estimate the plan so far, excluding Trump’s new overtime tax proposal, would shrink the size of the economy by 0.2% within a decade.

We don’t have to look far to see the track record of protectionist tariffs. The 2018-2019 trade war tariffs imposed by then-President Trump, combined with retaliation from foreign trading partners, depressed investment growth, reduced overall employment, and shrunk real incomes. Though tariffs certainly create benefits for protected industries, those benefits represent costly transfers from others in the economy. Altogether, Trump’s tax and tariff policy proposals could increase the 10-year budget deficit by nearly $3.8 trillion.

Both candidates’ policies would ultimately stifle the kinds of broad economic expansion they claim to seek. To achieve broad sustained growth, the next president should pursue tax policies that lower the cost of capital across all industries, rather than reshape investment through subsidies or other forms of protection. Unfortunately, Harris and Trump are making the same mistake in trying to reshape investment and redistribute income and economic activity to their favored sectors.

More must-read commentary published by Fortune:

  • An economic catastrophe is lurking beneath Russia’s GDP growth as Putin ‘throws everything into the fireplace’
  • EPA administrator: Rolling back Biden-Harris infrastructure and climate investments would mean backlash in American communities
  • ‘Godmother of AI’ says California’s well-intended AI bill will harm the U.S. ecosystem
  • We keep celebrating low unemployment—but data shows jobs and economic activity have been shifting to big business

The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.

About the Author
By Erica York
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Commentary

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Commentary

k
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
Media leadership unity in defying Trump’s assault on free speech: standing tall against historic comparisons
By Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Jeff Bewkes, Kay Koplovitz, Tom Glocer and Marvin KalbJuly 4, 2026
11 hours ago
ds
CommentarySoftware
I argued with the father of open source for 2 years. Now the AI fight is the same — only bigger
By David SiegelJuly 3, 2026
1 day ago
ashok
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
The greatest startup in history: What we can learn from America’s founders at today’s AI frontier
By Ashok N. SrivastavaJuly 3, 2026
1 day ago
2
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
America’s secret weapon isn’t just innovation — It’s the freedom to fail
By Keith KrachJuly 3, 2026
1 day ago
rn
CommentaryCryptocurrency
Former Iran director at NSC: Crypto legislation is a ticket to sanctions evasion
By Richard NephewJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago
m
Commentary250 Years of Innovation
McKinsey chairs: Building a more resilient industrial base may require $2 trillion in investment
By Eric Kutcher and Shubham SinghalJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
Law
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
Success
Even as Elon Musk calls philanthropy ‘very hard,’ everyday Americans gave a record $617 billion—despite feeling the squeeze over the cost of living
By Preston ForeJuly 4, 2026
15 hours ago
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
AI
Meet the Zillennials: The luckiest micro-generation in the workforce, born between 1993 and 1998
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 3, 2026
2 days ago
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
Economy
Economists have found an answer to slowing cognitive decline: Avoid retiring early, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
2 days ago
$25 billion CEO says one-hour interviews are a waste of time—he puts candidates through six hours of tests and wants them to order wine at lunch
Success
$25 billion CEO says one-hour interviews are a waste of time—he puts candidates through six hours of tests and wants them to order wine at lunch
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 3, 2026
2 days ago
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
Success
Philanthropy leader at Warren Buffett and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge says children of billionaires are pushing them to give their wealth away faster
By Preston ForeJune 27, 2026
7 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.