ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Chicken tax

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of the "chicken tax"? No? Well, let me explain it to you in a way that you can understand!

The chicken tax is a tax on certain imported goods, like trucks and vans, that was put in place by the US government a long time ago. The name "chicken tax" comes from the fact that it all started because of a trade war with Europe over... you guessed it... chickens!

You see, a long time ago, American farmers were having a hard time selling their chickens in Europe. So, the US government decided to put a tax on imported trucks, so that European companies wouldn't be able to sell as many of their trucks here in the US. This made it harder for European companies to compete with American companies, which was supposed to help American farmers sell more chickens in Europe.

But guess what? It worked! The European countries retaliated by putting a tax on American chickens, which made it harder for them to sell their chickens in Europe. This whole ordeal became known as the "chicken war".

So, the US government kept the tax in place even after the chicken war was over. The tax is still in place today, and it applies to things like trucks, vans, and other imported goods. This means that it costs more for companies to import these goods from other countries, which is supposed to encourage people to buy American-made products instead.

So, there you have it! The chicken tax is a tax on certain imported goods that goes all the way back to a trade war over chickens. It's still in place today, and it's supposed to help American companies compete with foreign companies.