Watch Indirect Taxation Without Representation:
A Conversation About Tariffs

The League of Women Voters of Massachusetts has released the latest episode, “Indirect Taxation Without Representation: A Conversation about Tariffs,” in the What Democracy Means in Everyday Life video series. 

At the time of the 2024 election, we found that candidates and the media never explained what democracy means to people’s everyday lives and the topic of democracy continues to be part of the nation’s conversation today. To help people answer this question, the LWVMA Voter Engagement Committee has sponsored four recorded programs in its What Democracy Means in Everyday Life series:

  1. Voter Engagement
  2. Intersectionality of Democracy and Immigration
  3. Civic Engagement & Technology
  4. Indirect Taxation Without Representation: A Conversation About Tariffs

In Indirect Taxation Without Representation: A Conversation About Tariffs, our panelists share their thoughts on the impact tariffs are having on democracy at the local, state, and national levels. They also examine the role of the U.S. Constitution, Congress, and the Legal System in the implementation and usage of tariffs.

Panelists

Kent Jones is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Babson College. He is the author of several books on trade policy and the World Trade Organization, most recently Populism and Trade. In addition to his faculty positions, he also served as a staff economist at the U.S. International Trade Commission and as a senior economist at the U.S. State Department.

Jim Klocke is the chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. MNN is the voice of the nonprofit sector, focusing on public policy advocacy, programs, and services to help nonprofits grow, and communications that increase public awareness of the great work done by nonprofits. MNN’s 650+ members come from all regions of the Commonwealth and all sub-sectors of the nonprofit community. Before joining MNN, Jim was the executive vice president of the Great Boston Chamber of Commerce, where he directed the Chamber’s advocacy and economic development initiatives.

Our moderator, Erica Rachel Andrews, is a passionate community organizer and nonprofit leader based in Springfield, MA. She currently serves as an At-Large Councilor and Treasurer on the McKnight Neighborhood Council. She is also the Co-Founder and President of https://springfield.community, a grassroots digital equity nonprofit focused on closing the technology access gap in Springfield. Erica is a Board Direct for the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and a local member of the Northampton Area League of Women Voters.

The series was produced and recorded at NewTV.org in Newton, MA.

This episode is co-sponsored by LWV Amherst, LWV Boston, LWV Greater Brockton, LWV Brookline, LWV Cape Ann, LWV Cape Cod Area, LWV Concord-Carlisle, LWV Dover-Sherborn, LWV Grafton-Shrewsbury, LWV Harvard, LWV Marblehead, LWV Needham, LWV Newton, LWV Northampton Area, LWV Plymouth Area, LWV Salem, LWV Sharon-Stoughton, LWV South Coast, LWV Wayland, LWV Wellesley, LWV Westford, LWV Weston, LWV Westwood-Walpole-Dedham, LWV Winchester, and LWV Williamstown.

For more information on the What Democracy Means in Everyday Life Series, visit the League of Women Voters of Newton website.