Tariffs will likely raise much less money than White House projects, economists say

cnbc.com:

President Donald Trump says that tariffs will make the U.S. "rich." But those riches will likely be far less than the White House expects, economists said.

The ultimate sum could have big ramifications for the U.S. economy, the nation's debt and legislative negotiations over a tax-cut package, economists said.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro on Sunday estimated tariffs would raise about $600 billion a year and $6 trillion over a decade. Auto tariffs would add another $100 billion a year, he said on «Fox News Sunday.»

Navarro made the projection as the U.S. plans to announce more tariffs against U.S. trading partners on Wednesday.

Economists expect the Trump administration's tariff policy would generate a much lower amount of revenue than Navarro claims. Some project the total revenue would be less than half.

Roughly $600 billion to $700 billion a year «is not even in the realm of possibility,» said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's. «If you get to $100 billion to $200 billion, you'll be pretty lucky.»

The White House declined to respond to a request for comment from CNBC about tariff revenue.

There are big question marks over the scope of the tariffs, including details like amount, duration, and products and countries affected — all of which have a significant bearing on the revenue total.

The White House is considering a 20% tariff on most imports, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday. President Trump floated this idea on the campaign trail. The Trump administration may ultimately opt for a different policy, like country-by-country tariffs based on each nation's respective trade and non-trade barriers.

But a 20% tariff rate seems to align with Navarro's revenue projections, economists said.

The U.S.